Guardian Angel
by Gogirl
Summary: It's Harry sixth year and things are as strange as ever at Hogwarts. The new DADA teacher is a young woman with a unique power. Who is she really? And why does Harry have the strangest feeling that he knows her? R/R
1. An Angel's Mission

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. This is just a idea for a story that I came up with. When I posted my idea on the message board, you guys said it was a good idea... so here I go... (P.S. About some later parts in the story that won't be in this chapter: If I get flames for the possible romance, well, excuse me for trying to make Snape a bit human, okay? All right, on with the fic.)

  
  


Dedication: To my grandfather, who is currently in rehab from a slight stroke, please get better.

  
  


Guardian Angel by Gogirl

  
  


Chapter One- An Angel's Mission

  
  


Heaven. A place of dreams and the ultimate paradise. The population being the good souls that have earned God's Paradise, Him, and the angels. Guardian angels, to be exact.

  
  


These angels are to chose a human on Earth to watch over, guide them, give them faith, and come for them when the time has come for them to enter Heaven. Occasionally, they have to come to Earth to protect their chosen person. This is such a story.

  
  


It all began when the Head Angel was meeting with another guardian angel named Fiona, on official business matters. He looked at her and said, "Fiona, there is some news concerning the one you protect."

  
  


"Is something wrong?" Fiona asked, worried.

  
  


"You are the guardian angel of the wizard boy, Harry Potter, are you not?" asked the Head Angel.

  
  


"Yes, yes, I am," said Fiona. She then added, "He's the second one that I chose to protect." This was true. Guardian angels can chose more than person to protect, if their first one is gone and doesn't need them anymore.

  
  


"So I've heard. It has been brought to His attention that the boy is in grave danger this year."

  
  


Fiona raised an eyebrow. "I'm not one to question, sir, but he's been in danger many times before, and he always survives. What makes this time so different?"

  
  


"It's because that this year, he will be facing more danger than he ever has realized. The wizard that killed his parents is planning a brutal attack. He's going to take advantage of the situation the Ministry of Magic is facing..."

  
  


"What do you mean?" asked Fiona. "Does this have something to do with the fact that the Minister of Magic won't believe that... well, you know... that the wizard has returned to power?"

  
  


"Sadly, yes. So, you have to go to Earth. Your job is to protect the boy. But you must be in human form. Your best chance to get to Hogwarts would be to apply for the job as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

  
  


"How can I do that? We angels may have powers, but I don't really know a lot about fighting the Dark Arts."

  
  


"We fight the Darkness," said the Head Angel simply. "That is the same as the Dark Arts. We may not be wizards or witches, but we have power. Use it. Come now, it isn't your first time you went to Earth in human form to give the boy faith..."

  
  


"When he was seven," Fiona replied, the memory crossing her mind for a brief second. "Unfortunately, I didn't have to pose as a Hogwarts teacher."

  
  


"You'll do fine," the Head Angel assured her gently. "Remember the oath of the angels: 'Have faith. Things will work out.'"

  
  


"They didn't work out for the boy I was supposed to protect before Harry," said Fiona bitterly.

  
  


The Head Angel looked at her sympathetically. "Fi..." he began. But Fiona held up her hand.

  
  


"Please don't call me Fi," she said in a quiet, sad tone. "That's what he used to call me. It's all I have left of him now."

  
  


"It was his choice," the Head Angel protested. "People make their choices. All we can do is try to guide them into making the right choice."

  
  


But Fiona wouldn't be comforted. "I know it was many years ago," she said. "but he was my responsibility. Something went horribly wrong between us, and it shouldn't have happened."

  
  


"You still think of him then?"

  
  


"Every day..." She took a deep breath. "But I won't let the same thing happen to Harry. Nor will I let him die. I accept my mission."

  
  


"Then... good luck," said the Head Angel. "I have faith in you, and so does He," he added reassuringly.

  
  


Fiona thanked him and walked off, preparing to go down to Earth. "Have faith. Things will work out. Have faith. Things will work out..." she repeated the oath over and over again as though to assure herself she'd do fine. 

  
  


She stopped muttering the oath when she remembered her first job as a guardian angel. She didn't go down to Earth to visit the boy back then... There are three ways a guardian angel can be seen. One, if the angel takes human form and goes to Earth. Two, if a person is dying, they usually see an angel standing nearby, waiting to take him/her away. And three, if the angel visits a person in his/her dreams. The third way was how the first boy had seen Fiona.

  
  


Fiona remembered that she pitied the boy for having such a dreary life. She decided to visit the boy in his dreams... she gave him bright dreams full of hope. Unfortunately, as the boy got older the effects of his childhood got to him...

  
  


Stop it, Fiona told herself firmly. Stop thinking about it. You loved him, you loved him with all your heart... but you're Harry's guardian angel now. You love him too. I have to protect him from... from whatever is going to happen. I won't let anything happen to him. I won't tolerate failure.

  
  


If I do fail.... well, I won't think about that, Fiona thought. She couldn't bear to think about it. She had already lost the first one she was supposed to protect. If anything happened to him, Fiona wouldn't know what she would do.

  
  


Looking down at Earth, Fiona took a deep breath, went over what she was supposed to do in her head, and closed her eyes, using all her power to put herself in a human form...

  
  


***

Little did she know, that at that very moment, the Death Eaters and Voldemort's allies, the dementors, were meeting with their master at the once fine mansion of the Riddle House. It was around midnight. All the Muggles who lived in Little Hangleton were asleep, and had no idea what was going on. Voldemort was careful not to arouse suspicions of "the Muggle scum".

  
  


Voldemort faced the Death Eaters, staring at them with his red, catlike eyes. "Are our spies positioned at the Ministry?" he demanded of the Death Eaters.

  
  


"Y-Yes, Master," stammered Wormtail. "They are ready and awaiting your commands,"

  
  


"Excellent," breathed Voldemort in a low hiss. "It is all going according to plan. I may have failed to kill the boy in his fourth year, but it turned out better then I ever hoped. The denial of the Minister of Magic was unexpected, yes, but it will work to my advantage perfectly...." 

  
  


He turned to Lucius Malfoy. "Go to the Ministry. Inform our spies my instructions. I will arrive when the time comes. Remember, do not attack the boy until that fool, Albus Dumbledore, lets his guard down. He may be planning an alliance to stop me, but he won't be able to save the boy from what's to come. And his alliance will not go very far either...not if the bumbling old Minister has anything to say about it..."

  
  


"Yes, My Lord," said Lucius Malfoy, bowing.

  
  


Voldemort paced around the Death Eaters, a cruel, twisted smile forming on his chalk-white face. "Ah, the cruel irony... Harry Potter's demise will be caused by the very Dark sorcerer whom people believed he had destroyed... and he'll be handed over to me by the very people who were supposed be helping him..."

  
  


"M-My Lord," asked Wormtail. "what if Dumbledore catches on to your plan? Suppose the Ministry won't do what we expect them to do?"

  
  


"Well," Voldemort replied, his red eyes blazing. "I don't really expect that to happen. And by the time that idiot Fudge does catch on, Harry Potter will be dead."

  
  


He let out a high, cold, merciless laugh which the Death Eaters joined in moments later...

  
  


***

Harry woke and sat up bolt right in his camp bed, his scar blazing with pain. It was in the middle of the night, and everyone in the Burrow was asleep. 

  
  


The pain in his scar left moments later, but Harry wasn't thinking about that. He was thinking about the dream he had just had... Voldemort was with his Death Eaters, talking about his spies in the Ministry. He kept saying that Fudge's denial about Voldemort rising back to power would work to his advantage to kill him! Harry covered his face with his hands, trying to ignore Ron's snores.

  
  


What did he mean by that? Harry wondered. Spies in the Ministry? Harry wasn't really surprised at that fact; he knew that some of the Death Eaters (including his arch-rival Draco Malfoy's father, Lucius) were now working in the Ministry, and they still were, supposedly for Voldemort's purposes, but... how would the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, help cause his murder? It didn't make sense.

  
  


Should I send Dumbledore an owl and tell him about this? he wondered. No, no, I shouldn't. He's busy preparing that alliance to work against Voldemort. 

  
  


The thought of telling Ron and Hermione about his dream didn't last in his mind for a minute. Harry knew that they'd both be worried sick... especially the Weasleys. Harry didn't want to worry them, after all they had done for him this summer...

  
  


Harry would have been with the Dursleys, his hateful, Muggle relatives at this point in time if it hadn't been for the Weasleys; Mrs. Weasley in particular. She had come over to the house early in the summer holidays, asking if Harry could stay with them for most of the summer.

  
  


The whole scenario was rather funny. It had been a normal afternoon in the Muggle world for Harry, he was about to write a letter to Ron, when somebody knocked on his bedroom door. Harry was shocked; none of the Dursleys had ever knocked on his door before... they had either just barged in or ignored him most of the time. He opened the door and to his complete surprise, Ron and Hermione were standing in the hallway... 

  
  


"What're you two doing here?" Harry had asked in amazement.

  
  


"Ron, Mrs. Weasley, and I have come to ask if we can take you back to the Burrow for the summer," Hermione explained. "We came by Floo powder, so your uncle is pretty upset."

  
  


"Mum is-er- discussing it with your uncle downstairs," Ron had said with a wicked grin. "We'll show you what we mean..."

  
  


Motioning for Harry and Hermione to follow him, Ron quietly snuck down the hallway, and pointed down the stairs, where Harry could clearly hear Uncle Vernon's yells.

  
  


"WE DON'T ALLOW YOUR KIND HERE!" Uncle Vernon had been bellowing. "GET OUT!"

  
  


"Mr. Dursley," they could hear Mrs. Weasley saying in a polite, yet cold tone. "Harry has told us how you feel about 'our kind', so we have come to ask if Harry can spend the rest of the summer term at our house. He's more then welcome to."

  
  


"He can't go," said Uncle Vernon gruffly.

  
  


"And why not?" asked Mrs. Weasley stiffly.

  
  


"My family doesn't take too kindly to people like you! The boy is dangerous enough with all that magic rubbish enough as it is! We don't want people like him giving ideas to normal people like us!"

  
  


That had been the final straw for Mrs. Weasley. The whole household had practically exploded from Mrs. Weasley's yells. Harry couldn't remember all of it, but she mentioned bigotry and said something like, "HE HAS ENOUGH TROUBLE WITHOUT YOU AND YOUR HORRIBLE FAMILY MISTREATING HIM!" and "IT'S MUGGLES LIKE YOU WHO GIVE MUGGLES A BAD NAME!" Her yells were more than a match for Uncle Vernon's usual bellows.

  
  


In the end, Mrs. Weasley had won, so Harry was spending the summer at the Weasley's with Ron and Hermione. They even went through enough trouble to remember Harry's sixteenth birthday last week. So that was more than enough of a reason not to worry them...

  
  


As for contacting Sirius Black, his godfather, Harry wasn't sure where he was. Last he heard, Sirius was staying with Remus Lupin to help with Dumbledore's alliance. 

  
  


Harry decided to forget about it for now. He wasn't even sure what it was. He laid back, trying to get back to sleep, thinking about the next day, when he, Ron, and Hermione would go to Diagon Alley to prepare for their sixth year at Hogwarts...

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


I hope this part was good for all you readers, I've been working on this idea for quite a while. Up next: a fight breaks out in Diagon Alley between Ron and Draco Malfoy, and a stranger breaks them up... who is it? Stay tuned!

  
  


P.S. Regarding the part when Mrs. Weasley was yelling at Uncle Vernon... I couldn't resist! Admit it, you've been looking forward to when THAT would happen!

  
  



	2. Professor Clark

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It is owned by J. K. Rowling. I'm just a fan writing a fic; I'm not trying to be better than Rowling.

  
  


Chapter Two- Professor Clark

  
  


The next morning, after breakfast, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the other Weasleys prepared the Floo powder for their trip to Diagon Alley.

  
  


"Dad's been busy at the Ministry lately," Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione. "He hasn't told us what it's about, but I overhead Mum and Dad talking about Dumbledore's plan. They're hoping that Fudge doesn't suspect he's 'interfering' at the Ministry. So, have you heard from *Snuffles* lately?" "Snuffles" was the name they called Sirius when in public.

  
  


Harry nodded. "He's still at Lupin's house as far as I know," he said. "They're rallying a group of witches and wizards he says that Dumbledore reckons can help fight Voldemort."

  
  


Ron flinched when Harry said the name. Ron and his family were one of the many wizarding families who always referred to Voldemort as either the Dark Lord, "You-Know-Who", or "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named".

  
  


"Well, I hope he and Lupin are all right," said Hermione. "But I wonder... what has Fudge been doing at the Ministry all this time?"

  
  


"Don't know," said Ron. "I think he might be doing his job. 'Business as usual', I guess, pretending that nothing is happening..."

  
  


Harry at once remembered the dream he had the previous night. For a split second, he thought of telling them about it, but thought better of it.

  
  


"All right, everyone," announced Mrs. Weasley. "Lets go to Diagon Alley. One at a time, get in and shout where we're going. Ron, you go first. Then Harry, then Hermione."

  
  


Ron stepped in the fireplace and shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and at once, he vanished. Harry followed him and did the same. At once, he closed his eyes, preparing himself for the sick feeling he was about to feel. He felt himself going upward very fast. The next moment, he fell flat on the ground. He got up and found himself in Diagon Alley, Ron standing nearby.

  
  


"The only way to travel," Ron said to him sarcastically.

  
  


Soon Hermione and the Weasleys followed. They agreed that Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny would go to Flourish and Botts to pick up their assigned books for the year, while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would look around. They would meet at the same spot they came from the Floo powder.

  
  


"So," said Ron as they walked to Flourish and Botts. "Who do you think we'll have as our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year?"

  
  


Harry shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "What I'm wondering about is if the new one will last the year. They always just stay for the year. Maybe the job is jinxed after all."

  
  


"Don't be ridiculous," replied Hermione. "The job isn't jinxed; all the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers had to leave under strange circumstances. Lets see, we've had two teachers who worked for You-Know-Who..." she listed, ticking off names.

  
  


"Professor Quirrell and Mad-Eye Moody," clarified Harry. "Well, technically, it wasn't the real Mad-Eye Moody; it was Crouch's son disguised as Mad-Eye Moody."

  
  


"And we've had Gilderoy Lockhart," said Hermione continued.

  
  


"Who was a complete idiot and a con artist," added Ron.

  
  


"Lupin..." said Hermione.

  
  


"Who was really cool, except that he had to leave because he was a werewolf," said Harry.

  
  


"Do you think any of the old teachers will come back?" asked Ron. 

  
  


"That's silly," snapped Hermione. "Quirrell is dead; the last time we heard, Lockhart was recovering from that Memory Charm; Crouch's son was given the dementor's kiss, so he's...." Hermione trailed off as though she couldn't bear to say that Crouch's son was now soul-less. "... And I don't know if parents would allow it if Lupin came back to teach. So, that leaves an open vacancy for the job." she finished.

  
  


"It'll be interesting to find out who teaches it," remarked Ginny.

  
  


"And it better not be another Lockhart," grumbled Ron.

  
  


They entered Flourish and Botts and began to browse the sections, trying to find their assigned books. They were just about the only ones there. Everything was going well... until...

  
  


"Well, well, well," said a sneering voice behind them. "If it isn't the famous Potter and his sidekicks."

  
  


The four whirled around and saw Draco Malfoy standing nearby, a smirk on his pointed face. Draco Malfoy and Harry were enemies since the first day of Hogwarts. In fact, Malfoy's family were part of the Death Eaters. Malfoy was the last person they all wanted to see on a nice day like this one. In fact, Malfoy was the last person they wanted to see any day.

  
  


"Do you always happen to be in the same places we are, or do you follow us around?" Ron asked in disgust.

  
  


"I don't know, Weasley," replied Malfoy lazily. "Has your family always been poor, or is it because your father is so wrapped up in his pathetic fascination of Muggles?"

  
  


Ron was about to dive at Malfoy, but Harry and the two girls held him back. "Go away," said Harry coldly. "We're not here to pick a fight, we're here to get our books."

  
  


"Typical of you to defend Weasley's father for liking Muggles and Mudbloods, Potter," Malfoy went on, pressing his advantage. At the word, "Mudblood", Malfoy's pale eyes fell on Hermione, who simply glared at him. "Not only do you hang out with Mudbloods, but your own mother was one..."

  
  


"You watch your mouth!" Harry snarled, still keeping a steady grip on Ron. He motioned to Ron, Ginny, and Hermione. "Come on," he muttered, finally letting go of Ron as they turned to leave.

  
  


"You know, Weasley," Malfoy said quietly. "I think I know why you always hang out with Potter. You're trying to get publicity for yourself. I bet you don't even like Potter, you just want to be known as the famous Harry Potter's best friend..."

  
  


"Ron, don't!" yelled Ginny. But her words came out too late. Before Harry, Hermione, or Ginny could restrain Ron, Ron had thrown himself at Malfoy and had begun hitting him. The three tried to separate Ron and Malfoy. Ron kept screaming, "TAKE THAT BACK! TAKE THAT BACK!" There was the sound of someone entering the shop, but Harry didn't notice until the person who came in shouted, "That is enough!"

  
  


Even Ron and Malfoy stopped to fight to see who had shouted. A young woman made her way toward Ron and Malfoy. It was fair to say that the woman looked extremely annoyed with the two.

  
  


"Break it up!" she shouted, separating the two. She turned to Malfoy. "Young man, this is a book shop. It's no place to start a fight!" she said in a calm, yet severe tone.

  
  


Malfoy glared at Ron, but left without a word. The woman turned to Ron.

  
  


"And you," she said in the same tone. "I thought you would know better, after all that Dumbledore has told me about all of you..."

  
  


"Excuse me," interrupted Hermione politely. "But how do you know who we are? And how do you know Dumbledore?"

  
  


The woman suddenly looked embarrassed. "Oh," she began. "Well, I met him recently. He told me about some of the Hogwarts students, including you four. I'm Professor Fiona Clark," she said, getting to the point. "I'll be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year."

  
  


"You are?" asked Ron, shocked. Professor Clark nodded.

  
  


Harry and the others could only stare. Professor Clark had to have been in her middle twenties. She had eyes that were blue as a summer sky and long brown hair. Harry couldn't shake the feeling that she looked somewhat familiar. But that was silly; Harry didn't remember meeting a person named Fiona Clark in his life...

  
  


"He said that you all were basically good students," Professor Clark continued. "You're Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter, right?"

  
  


The four nodded.

  
  


"Oh that's good," said Professor Clark, looking embarrassed again. "I'm not very good with remembering names. Now then, I don't know what that young man did to cause that fight, but fighting leads to more fighting..." She trailed off and the expression on her face seemed as though she was remembering something very painful. "...So I hope that it doesn't end up like that for any of you," she finished.

  
  


There was an awkward silence. "Well," Professor Clark said finally. "I guess I'll see you all when the Hogwarts Express comes... that's how I'll be getting to Hogwarts. It was nice meeting you."

  
  


For a split second, Harry could have sworn that Professor Clark was staring at him in an eerie sort of way. Then she left the bookshop, leaving the four of them speechless.

  
  


"So," said Ron, as they started to look for their books again. "we have a *woman* for a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

  
  


"What's wrong with a woman teaching the class?" Hermione asked him crossly.

  
  


"Nothing," said Ron quickly. "It's just that...we've never had a woman teacher for that subject before."

  
  


"I think she's rather nice," Ginny piped up.

  
  


"Well, the way she handled that fight reminded me of Mum," commented Ron. "Still, you've got to admit, she *was* very attractive... ow!" he yelled when Hermione purposely stepped on his foot. Hermione didn't like it when Ron judged a woman or girl because of her looks.

  
  


Harry was silent as they all paid for their books and walked out of the bookstore. "You alright, Harry?" Ron asked him. "You've been quiet for a while."

  
  


"It's weird," said Harry softly. "I feel like I've met her before."

  
  


"Who?" asked Hermione.

  
  


"Professor Clark."

  
  


The others were dumbfounded. "How could you feel like that?" asked Ginny. "We just met her."

  
  


"I know," said Harry in a quiet tone. "There's just something about her that seems so... I dunno... familiar." Since the others were looking at him in a strange way, so Harry said quickly, "It's probably just nerves about this year. Forget about it."

  
  


Hermione changed the subject about talking about if she might have a chance of becoming Head Girl the next year. (Hermione was made a prefect the previous year because of her astounding academic achievements.) Harry knew from the tone of their voices as they chatted about random subjects that they didn't believe that what Harry said was just "nerves". Harry didn't really care; he convinced himself to stop thinking about this strange feeling and start concentrating on the work he'd do this year by the time they met Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and prepared to head back to the Burrow...

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


Alright, I hope you guys liked this part. Here's a quick little overview of what's going to happen in this story (in upcoming chapters):

  
  


1) The Ministry of Magic starts to screw up Dumbledore's plan of starting an alliance when Cornelius Fudge pays a little visit to Hogwarts...

  
  


2) Malfoy does the all-time low to Neville. Can't say anything more, but that's coming real soon...

  
  


3) The first boy Fiona was supposed to protect will be revealed... soon. Not giving any hints, but have fun guessing!

  
  


4) The climax of this story will be when something BIG happens. Yeah, yeah, it'll be Voldemort's doing, but I can't say anything more.

  
  


5) The reason why Snape stopped supporting Voldemort will be revealed, but IT DOES NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH LILY POTTER.

  
  


That's about all I can tell you, and I hope you like where the story is heading. In the next part: the return to Hogwarts! But... something weird happens along the way to Harry. Stay tuned!

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  



	3. A Blissful Childhood Memory

Disclaimer: None of this stuff belongs to me. 

  
  


Chapter 3- A Blissful Childhood Memory

  
  


Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione enjoyed the rest of the summer at the Burrow. The summer ended all too soon when the day the Hogwarts Express arrived to take them back to Hogwarts. They packed up all their belongings and traveled to Platform Nine and Three Quarters by Floo powder with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. As soon as their belongings were stored in the train, the four went to say goodbye to the Weasleys.

  
  


"Thank you for letting me stay for the summer, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Harry and Hermione each said to the Weasleys. 

  
  


"Your welcome," said Mrs. Weasley as she hugged all four of them goodbye. "And Ron..."

  
  


"I know, I know," said Ron. "I'll send you an owl as soon as we get there."

  
  


They waved goodbye and boarded the train. As they looked for somewhere to sit, they saw Professor Clark nearby. Her hair was arranged in a loose bun (which went nicely with the dark blue robes she was wearing), was carrying a suitcase, and she looked nothing short of nervous. 

  
  


"Oh, hello," said Professor Clark when she saw them. "I wondered if I'd be seeing you four on the train. How was your summer?"

  
  


"It was very nice," said Harry. It was the first time he had spoken to her. It wasn't easy for him, especially because of the fact that he still had that strange feeling he somehow knew her.

  
  


"Are you alright?" Hermione asked Professor Clark. "You look nervous."

  
  


"Oh, it's nothing..." Professor Clark assured her. "It's just nerves. It's my first teaching job. Tell me, are the other teachers friendly? I met Professor Dumbledore, and he seems nice enough... but what about the teachers?"

  
  


Harry's first instinct was to warn Professor Clark about the Potions teacher, Severus Snape. Not only was Snape the most cruel, sarcastic, and cold teacher at Hogwarts, but he was also after the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position. Harry and the others knew very well that Snape liked none of the past Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers in the past (especially Lupin and Lockhart), but how would he react to a woman teaching the job?

  
  


But before he could say anything, Hermione quickly said to the woman, "Oh, they're very nice,"

  
  


"Really?" Professor Clark asked in a tone that sounded as though she didn't really believe Hermione. "Well, I guess I shouldn't worry about it. I'm only teaching for this year anyway."

  
  


"Why aren't you going to stay?" asked Ginny. 

  
  


"I never stay away from my home for more than a year. Otherwise I get terribly homesick."

  
  


"Where are you from?" inquired Harry.

  
  


A odd, dreamy expression crossed Professor Clark's face. "North," she replied softly. "The very North... I guess I'll see you all later." With that, she walked away.

  
  


"Why didn't you tell her about Snape?" Ron asked Hermione, as soon as the four sat in an empty compartment. "Everybody knows Snape is the worst teacher in Hogwarts, not to mention that he's after her job!"

  
  


"I didn't want to worry her!" Hermione snapped. "You saw her! She looked so nervous!"

  
  


"I'd be nervous too if I knew I was going to be teaching in the same school with Snape," muttered Ron. "I'll bet he's going to make her year at Hogwarts a living nightmare. Anyway, what do you think she meant when she said that she was from north? I mean, how far north could she be from?"

  
  


"I don't know, Ron," said Hermione. "Maybe she's from Ireland. Fiona is an Irish name... only she didn't sound Irish. And I don't even remember if Ireland is north of Scotland or Britain..."

  
  


"All I know is that she could be a decent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and she's only staying for a year!" Ron grumbled. "That is, unless she turns out to be like most of the other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers..."

  
  


As the train started, the four talked scarce. There seemed to be not a lot to talk about lately. Eventually, Harry grew so bored that he fell asleep.

  
  


He had a very strange dream. Actually, it wasn't really a dream, but a memory from when Harry was about seven years old. It was before he knew he was a wizard, before he knew about the wizarding world, and when he believed that his parents had died in a car crash...

  
  


***

It was a usual day at Harry's old Muggle school, Stonewall Elementary. It was recess, and his cousin, Dudley, and his gang were chasing Harry all over the playground. Sometimes, Harry was fast enough to outrun the gang and was able to hide until recess was over.

  
  


Unfortunately, today wasn't one of those days. Dudley and his game caught him and beat him up to kingdom come.

  
  


By the time the teacher supervising recess found him, the gang run off, laughing and congratulating themselves from what they had done, leaving Harry lying on the ground, sobbing loudly, his glasses broken at his side. Cuts and bruises were all over his body.

  
  


"Oh, Potter," sighed the recess teacher. She always said this as though him getting beaten up was just another nuisance she had to put up with. "Come now," she said, helping him up and picking up his broken glasses. "Lets get you to the nurse's office."

  
  


As she led Harry into the school building, Harry knew what would happen next. It was a daily ritual he knew by heart. The nurse would look him over and also sigh as though taking care of his cuts and bruises was a nuisance. The nurse wasn't a very sympathetic woman. Then she would apply peroxide to his cuts that stung painfully, hand him a bag of ice to put on the bump on his head, and send him back to recess with the single message, "Stay out of trouble!" The thought made him even more miserable than usual, but Harry was used to the whole spiel.

  
  


The teacher led him into the office where the nurse was usually waiting, but instead of the nurse, there was a pretty young woman there. Harry managed to see her a bit clearer by squinting his eyes.

  
  


The teacher left without a word. When the woman saw Harry, she took his broken glasses and murmured a single sentence that he had never heard in his entire life, "Oh, you poor thing."

  
  


"You're not the nurse," said Harry, surprised.

  
  


"She's out ill," the woman informed him. "I'm the substitute nurse for today. Now, what happened to you, sweetie?"

  
  


Harry knew that if Dudley found out that he told on him and the gang, he'd make sure that Harry wouldn't end up in the nurse's office, he'd end up in the hospital. So he just replied, "Bullies."

  
  


"Why do they pick on you?" asked the woman while she taped his glasses together.

  
  


"For a load of reasons," said Harry softly. It was impossible to tell the main reason Dudley and his gang picked on him. They laughed at his taped up glasses and baggy old clothes, they and everyone else thought he was strange.... there were a lot of reasons why the gang picked on him.

  
  


"Is it because you don't fight back?" the woman inquired, handing back his glasses.

  
  


Harry shrugged and put on his glasses. "Probably."

  
  


"What do your parents say you should do to handle bullies?"

  
  


"My parents died in a car crash when I was a baby. I live with my aunt and uncle... and don't tell anyone, but they don't like me very much."

  
  


"Why? You're their own flesh and blood!"

  
  


"I dunno. When I tell them about bullies, they don't believe me."

  
  


"Doesn't sound like much of a family to me."

  
  


"Tell me about it," Harry murmured.

  
  


"What's your name?" asked the woman as she got up to get the first aid.

  
  


"Harry."

  
  


"Well, Harry, you're right not to fight back. Fighting back is the worst thing you can do. Once, I had a friend who had the exact same problem with bullies. He chose to fight back and..." She looked as though she was remembering something very painful. "Well, he's not around anymore." She took out the bottle of peroxide. Harry winced.

  
  


"You don't like that stuff, do you?" she said softly.

  
  


Harry shook his head. 

  
  


"Try thinking of something nice while I'm putting it on," she advised. 

  
  


"Like what?" Harry asked.

  
  


"How about your favorite place to be... do you have one? The coast, perhaps? I've been there, and its quite lovely."

  
  


"I've never been in other places. Every time my aunt, uncle, and cousin go on a vacation or somewhere fun, they leave me at the neighbor's house."

  
  


"You've never been there?" she asked, in a not-so-surprised tone. "You mean you've never walked on the soft white sand while watching the waves crash on the shore? You've never seen the seagulls circle the water, searching for fish and other things to eat? And you've never walked in the waves, feeling the cold water upon you as though it's welcoming you in?"

  
  


And as the woman described the coast, Harry could actually see the sea on a warm day. It was as though he was right there, playing in the waves and laughing, as he rarely had ever laughed in his life...

  
  


"There, all done."

  
  


The woman's voice brought Harry out of his daydream. He looked down and saw that all of his cuts had been cleaned up and bandaged. He didn't even feel the usual sting of the peroxide.

  
  


"See?" the woman smiled. "It works. Now you'd better go back outside before it's time to go in."

  
  


"Thank you," Harry said to her. He walked out of the nurse's office.

  
  


"I'm glad to have met you, Harry," she called after him...

***

"Harry! Wake up!"

  
  


"Huh?" Harry jerked awake. Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were staring at him. 

  
  


"We're almost there," Ron explained. "We'd better put on our robes. You must have been having some dream, because it was really hard to get you up."

  
  


"Oh...yeah," Harry muttered absentmindedly. 

As the four put on their Hogwarts robes, Harry tried to remember the details of that memory he had. They were slowly slipping away from. He couldn't remember what that young woman looked like, just the thought he had that she was very pretty. Harry decided not to worry about it yet...

  
  


***

Meanwhile, in another part of the train, Fiona was nervous. She knew about all the teachers and students at Hogwarts because she was watching over Harry during most of his years (so far) there. Suppose that she doesn't do well as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? What if she got fired?

  
  


And what was the horrible thing Voldemort was planning to do to Harry that involved the Ministry of Magic? What if she failed protecting Harry from it? 

  
  


If anything, anything happened to Harry, just like it happened to... she couldn't even say the first boy's name in her head, it was too painful. If anything happened to Harry, not only would it cause her to lose her sanity, but she'd probably give up on herself as well. If it did happen, the most painful part would be the poetic irony. The two boys she was supposed to protect, lost at the same age. And they always called that age "sweet sixteen"...

  
  


As the train started to halt, Fiona sighed, picked up her suitcase, muttered to herself, "I won't fail," and started to walk towards the exit of the train, still wondering about what the Ministry could have to do with Voldemort's plan...

Little did she realize, she was soon to find out.

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


Oooh, cliffhanger! Sorry, I couldn't help it. Up next: the teachers of Hogwarts meet Fiona, and Snape seems to be *most interested*. Plus, the beginning of the year feast is interrupted by a little visit from old Cornelius Fudge himself, and he's brought some *old friends* with him... who or what are they? Stay tuned!

  
  


P.S.: I need your opinion about this story. Should Harry and Ginny have a relationship in this story? I'm not really a shipper, but the thought did cross my mind. Tell me in your reviews, okay? Thanks.

  
  


  
  


  
  



	4. The Start-Of-Term Banquet

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I'm just another fan.

  
  


Chapter Four- The Start-Of-Term Banquet

  
  


At Hogwarts, the teachers were getting prepared for the start-of-term banquet which would occur in a short period of time. Snape, as usual, was in a bad mood; once again, he didn't get the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position. 

  
  


"So, Albus," said Professor McGonagall to Dumbledore. "You never told us who was going to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts this year. Who is he?"

  
  


"It's not a he, Minerva," replied Dumbledore. "The new teacher is a woman by the name of Fiona Clark."

  
  


"A woman?" Snape asked, shocked. "A woman is teaching the Defense Against the Dark Arts?! I only meant that because a woman has never taught that class before." he added quickly, because the female teachers of Hogwarts, (Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, and Professor Trelawney) were glaring at Snape as though they were about to kill him.

  
  


"True," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "I met her over the summer, not too long ago, when she applied for the job. She was a rather nervous looking young woman, but she seemed eager to take the job."

  
  


"This morning, I saw through my crystal ball that this new teacher will not be with us for very long," said Professor Trelawney in her misty voice. "There must be something odd about this woman."

  
  


"It doesn't take a prediction to figure that out," Professor McGonagall snorted. "Every single teacher in that subject has never stayed the whole year. There was always something odd about each person who has taken the job." Professor Trelawney glared at her.

  
  


"Actually, Sibyll, she will just be staying with us for this year," Dumbledore said. "She said that she never stays away from her home for long."

  
  


"I'd better go to the entrance hall to greet the first-years," said Professor McGonagall, getting out of her seat and walking off...

  
  


***

As soon as Harry and the others arrived at Hogwarts, they went straight to the Great Hall for the start-of-term banquet. They could see Professor Clark going over to the teacher's table to greet the other teachers. 

  
  


"I wonder what kind of teacher she'll be," said Ron. "She seems nice enough to be a female version of Lupin. Well, except for the whole werewolf thing..."

  
  


"Yeah," said Hermione. "But from the looks of the other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, I think that there might be something about her we don't know about yet..."

  
  


"Oh, come on, Hermione," said Ron. "Don't you think that you might be judging her too soon?"

  
  


"Look, all I'm saying is that during most of the time we've been at Hogwarts, every teacher in that subject has either been working for Lord Voldemort or has some deep dark secret," Hermione snapped. "It's not likely that we're ever going to have a normal one. Harry, you said that you feel like you know her..."

  
  


"Just forget about it, okay?" said Harry. "It's probably nothing." Although he said this, Harry didn't really believe it. There was something strange about this new teacher, and he had the feeling that it somehow had to do with him...

  
  


***

Fiona walked to the teacher's table, muttering under her breath, "Have faith. Things will work out." Putting a smile on her face, she called out, "Professor Dumbledore?"

  
  


Dumbledore turned to her. All the teachers at the table stared at her. "Oh, hello, Fiona," said Dumbledore shaking her hand. He turned to the other teachers and introduced her. "This is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Fiona Clark." 

  
  


All the teachers introduced themselves to Fiona, and she each shook their hands. She knew who the teachers were before she met them, but she smiled politely and said to each of them, "It's a pleasure to meet you." However, she did feel uncomfortable around Snape, because he kept staring at her in a very strange way. She was expecting a look of hatred or unpleasantness from him, because she knew for a fact that he wanted the job she got. But the way he was staring at her wasn't either of the expressions she was prepared for. The expression he did have was... well, she didn't even know the expression.

As Fiona took a seat, Dumbledore said to her in a quiet tone, "You do remember the situation I told you about that we are dealing with recently?"

  
  


Fiona nodded. "Yes. Have you heard anything from the Ministry yet?"

  
  


"So far, things are going smoothly. It could be a good sign. Then again, you shouldn't let your guard down on problems like this."

  
  


Fiona shuddered slightly. A feeling of foreboding was coming to her. To angels, this was a warning sign that something bad was going to happen very soon. This isn't good, she thought to herself. She never doubted her instincts, but she managed to look calm. The last thing she wanted to do right now was arouse the other teachers' suspicions by looking afraid. Especially Snape's...

  
  


***

Not too long later, Professor McGonagall entered the Great Hall with a group of first years, waiting to be sorted into the school houses. Before the Sorting began, Ron elbowed Hermione and Harry and whispered, "Look at Snape!"

  
  


The three looked over at the teacher's table. Harry caught sight of Snape, who was sitting a few seats away from Professor Clark. He seemed to be staring at Professor Clark in a way Snape never looked at anyone. It wasn't in the usual look of loathing that Harry usually got from Snape, nor the jealous look he often looked at the previous Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. 

  
  


"So?" Hermione asked Ron, an eyebrow raised.

  
  


"He doesn't look at her like he hates her or like he's jealous of her job position," Ron hissed. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he *fancies* her!"

  
  


Harry stared at Ron as though he were mad. "That's ridiculous, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed in a quiet tone so no one else would hear them. "You know Snape! He doesn't like anybody, let alone fancy!" Harry nodded in agreement.

  
  


"I never saw him look that way before," Ron said. "But would ever want to fall in love with Snape?!"

  
  


They fell silent as the Sorting began. As Harry glanced at the teacher's table, he started to think that Ron might have been right. He'd never seen Snape look that way before. It was a plain look, almost expressionless, but he seemed spellbound by her. Harry remembered what Ron had commented about Professor Clark when they were at Flourish and Blotts, and had to admit that he was right, she was rather attractive, but that didn't necessarily mean that she could be a nice person, even though she seemed nice so far... he knew, from experience with the other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers (with the exception of Lupin) that none of them were what they appeared to be.

  
  


Soon, the Sorting ended and the feast began. But first, Dumbledore made his annual first speech of the year. He introduced Professor Clark, who seemed to be blushing furiously when everybody applauded her, and went on congratulating the new Head Boy and Girl for the year.

  
  


"If Snape does like Professor Clark, there has to be something wrong with her." Ron muttered to Harry as they helped themselves to food.

  
  


Everything went peaceful at the feast... for a while. As everyone from separate tables stood up to sing the school song (which most of the teachers usually were embarrassed to do), Harry and the others caught sight of Professor McGonagall gave Dumbledore a sharp look and pointed to a corner. They turned to the corner and to everybody's shock, there was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Harry caught sight of dark shadows nearby Fudge. As soon as he realized what they were, he felt his insides go ice cold. They were dementors, the dreaded, soul-sucking prison guards from the wizard prison, Azkaban.

  
  


As soon as Ron and Hermione saw what the shadows were, they gripped each of Harry's hands. They knew for a fact that every time a dementor approached Harry, he heard the screams of his dying parents. That was the horrible power of the dementors, to make people remember the most terrible moment of their lives...

  
  


Dumbledore's old face showed shock and anger. "Prefects, take the students to their dormitories now."

  
  


There was confusion in the Great Hall, but the prefects obeyed. Hermione led the other Gryffindors to the Gryffindor Tower. Before they left, Harry caught a glimpse of all the teachers hurrying towards where Fudge and the dementors were standing...

  
  


***

Fiona was confused. The Minister of Magic... here? And dementors.... Fiona glared at them. Dementors were living demons that angels and humans alike loathed. They horrible beasts, dementors were.

  
  


Fiona followed the other teachers to where Fudge was standing as the students left. "What are you doing here?" Dumbledore asked to Fudge in a calm, even tone, though Fiona could plainly see his light blue eyes blazing.

  
  


"Official business, Dumbledore," replied Fudge. "It has come to my attention that you have been telling other people the nonsense that you believe about You-Know-Who returning. So, as a precaution, I'm staying at Hogwarts to make sure that no *funny business* occurs here."

  
  


"Why, may I ask, did you bring those *things* here?" Dumbledore asked coldly. "I don't allow them in here, let alone inside Hogwarts."

  
  


"They are here at my orders, as an extra insurance that nothing happens here," snapped Fudge. 

  
  


The dementors moved towards the teachers, then bristled when they approached Fiona. "Get away, beasts," she said quietly.

  
  


The other teachers were too busy watching Dumbledore and Fudge to see what happened next. The dementors took another step closer to Fiona, and from the neck of her robes, she pulled out something attached to a black cord around her neck. Whatever was attached to the black cord was clenched firmly in her fist. Only she knew what it was. It happened very quickly: a ray of pale light shot towards the dementors; they recoiled and moved away from her. Fiona tucked the black cord and the thing attached to it back into her robes.

  
  


"I believe you are making a serious mistake, Cornelius," Dumbledore said to Fudge in a severe tone. "Voldemort has returned, as I keep on telling you, and putting this school in guard of creatures that may very well be his allies will be putting this school into mortal danger."

  
  


"If I were you, Dumbledore," said Fudge coldly. "I'd quit spreading around this rubbish about You-Know-Who returning... or I will have to find a new headmaster to run this school..."

  
  


He and the dementors left seconds after he said this, leaving Dumbledore and the other teachers alone.

  
  


"This is a unpredicted move for him," said Dumbledore, after what seemed like ages of silence. "It might change everything we have planned so far."

  
  


"Albus," whispered Professor McGonagall. "what could have brought Fudge to do this? Who could have told him what we were doing?"

  
  


"Spies," said Dumbledore softly. "Most of the Death Eaters are working in the Ministry. Voldemort must have found out what we were working to stop him, and he sent his spies from the Ministry to tell Fudge. He knew what Fudge is like, and he knew he'd meddle and use his allies to patrol the school."

  
  


"What are we going to do?" asked Fiona awkwardly. Being new, she didn't quite feel like she was part of this situation, but somebody had to ask him. 

  
  


"She's right," said Snape quietly, and Fiona almost jumped. "This might change everything, with Fudge and the dementors in the school, observing everything that goes on around here."

  
  


For the first time, Dumbledore's voice faltered. "I'm not sure. But I know one thing: I will not allow those things inside my school. I don't care if Fudge fires me or not, I'm not about to allow my school to be patrolled by allies of Voldemort. It won't be like what happened three years ago..."

  
  


He looked around at them all. "I'd better escort Professor Clark to her office," he said in a tired voice. Fiona nodded, picked up her black suitcase, and followed Dumbledore out of the Great Hall.

  
  


"Professor," Fiona asked along the way. "What did happen here that involved dementors, three years ago?" Of course, Fiona knew what really happened, but she thought she'd ask. Dumbledore needed all the help he got.

  
  


"They came to the school to protect the school from an escaped convict from Azkaban by the name of Sirius Black. The dementors began pushing their limits; they attempted to preform their Kiss on Harry at the end of the year... but Sirius, to sum it up, was innocent of all charges. But very few people know that. He is one of the people I'm who is helping with setting the alliances."

  
  


"I know he's innocent," Fiona piped up. Immediately after she said that, she wished she hadn't.

  
  


"How do you know?" asked Dumbledore. His tone was gentle, not accusing.

  
  


Fiona bit her lip, trying to come up with an explanation. "Well, I heard about what he was accused of doing, and I don't think anybody like him would betray his best friends," she said finally.

  
  


"It seems to me that you believe there's good in everybody."

  
  


"I did... once."

  
  


After Dumbledore led her to her new office, he bade her goodnight and left. Yes, she thought as soon as she was alone. I did believe that there was good in people; I still do. But I've learned that there's not some good left in some people. The first boy I chose to protect proved that to me...

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


I hope you guys liked this chapter. Alright, up next: Harry and company has their first lesson with Professor Clark... and Malfoy does the all-time low to Neville not too long afterwards... what is it? Stay tuned! (In the meantime, start thinking about what Malfoy hasn't done to Neville yet.)

  
  
  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  



	5. The Dementors in the Classroom

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it belongs to J. K. Rowling. Note: Some of this part contains what I think Neville hears ever time the dementors come near him. Poor Neville.

  
  


Chapter Five- The Dementors in the Classroom

  
  


By the next day, the news of the dementors and Fudge staying at the school was known throughout Hogwarts. But that wasn't the half of what shocked everybody. What shocked them was that Fudge was allowing the dementors to stay inside the building as much as they pleased!

  
  


Perhaps it was because of this reason that Hermione, Ron, and sometimes Ginny would stick close to Harry a lot. There was no telling when a dementor would pop out of nowhere. Although this was kind of embarrassing for Harry sometimes, it was nice to know that his friends were there for him. Besides, he wasn't the only one he saw that was affected by the dementors. Every time he saw Neville in the same place as a dementor, he turned white, his shoulder shook, and he ran away in the other direction.

  
  


Of course, Neville was afraid of a lot of things, but Harry and the others were still concerned.

  
  


What Harry was most curious about was what would happen when he had Defense Against the Dark Arts. It wouldn't be about what they were taught, however. It was Professor Clark everyone was interested about. They all wondered how she would handle the class, what she'd be like, and most importantly, would she turn out like most of the other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers?

  
  


Finally, on Friday, their long wait was over. The sixth year Gryffindors headed over to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where Professor Clark was waiting for them patiently. As soon as they were all sitting down, she took roll call, and looked up at them all. Harry knew what she was going to do: all the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers gave the class an introduction speech on their first class.

  
  


"All right," she began. "As you all know, I'm Professor Clark, your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for the year. Now, the only rule in my class is that I expect you show me, and each other, the same respect that I'll show you, despite the circumstances. Is that clear?"

  
  


Everybody nodded.

  
  


"Good," said Professor Clark brightly. "We can begin then! Now during this term, we will cover most defense techniques to be used when dealing with..."

  
  


But before she could finish her sentence, Harry felt a sudden chill in the air. It felt so familiar... and from the looks of the faces of the Gryffindors in the room, they felt it too.

  
  


"What's going on?" asked Professor Clark in alarm. Obviously, she felt the chill too, although it didn't seem to be affecting her.

  
  


The door to the room burst open and a group of dementors glided in. The cold was cutting Harry's insides, and inside his head, he could hear the familiar dying screams of his mother...

  
  


He tried to reach for his wand, but he was already falling in the familiar white mist... he could barely see Professor Clark reaching for something in her robes... something in her hand was glowing with a pale light... and the dementors suddenly left.

  
  


The white mist disappeared, and Harry suddenly found himself down on his knees. He pulled himself back up and looked around. Half of the class was looking terrified; Neville was cowering under his desk, white as a ghost, shaking as though he was about to throw up. Professor Clark, tucking whatever it was that scared the dementors in her robes, seemed to be fine, although she looked livid.

  
  


"Demons," she muttered under her breath. Then she said aloud, "Is everyone okay?"

  
  


Everybody nodded rather shakily. Professor Clark coaxed Neville out of his hiding spot under his desk, and then said to everyone, "Well, in a way, this helped introduce what we are going to be doing this year: we're going to study techniques against dementors. Can anyone tell me one of them?"

  
  


Immediately, Hermione's hand was raised. "The Patronus," she said.

  
  


"Yes, that's very good, Hermione," said Professor Clark. "But let's think? What kind of thoughts cause the Patronus to appear? Positive thinking. And I know some other techniques against dementors that involve positive thinking..."

  
  


By the end of class, everybody seemed to like Professor Clark. Especially Neville, who was usually nervous around teachers (especially Snape).

  
  


"She kind of reminds me of Professor Lupin," he said thoughtfully to Harry, Ron, and Hermione the next morning, while walking back from breakfast in the Great Hall. "Except for the whole werewolf thing."

  
  


"Not to mention she's a babe," commented Ron. Then he yelped as Hermione stepped on his toe (on purpose). 

  
  


"You shouldn't her on her looks," snapped Hermione. "But I do like her. She must be smart to know other kinds of techniques on the dementors..."

  
  


"How did she chase away the dementors the other day?" asked Harry. "I've never seen anyone do something like that before."

  
  


"To tell you the truth, I don't either," said Hermione. "When the dementors came in, she didn't seem very affected by them. You were about faint when she pulled out something on a black cord 'round her neck. We couldn't see what it was, but it conducted sort of a pale light. It shot at the dementors... and they left... It's all very peculiar."

  
  


Ron turned to Neville. "Why were you so scared when the dementors came?"

  
  


Neville didn't say anything, but he went sort of red.

  
  


"Longbottom is afraid of everything, Weasley, it's as simple as that."

  
  


Draco Malfoy, followed by his two minions, Crabbe and Goyle had walked up to them while Ron was talking to Neville. Neville's face went redder.

  
  


"Go away," Harry yawned. Hermione fingered her prefect badge in a threatening sort of way, as though saying to Malfoy, "Go ahead, break some rules by starting a fight. I'll just take some points off of Slytherin."

  
  


Malfoy went on as though he hadn't heard Harry. "At this rate, he'll probably end up just like his loony parents." 

  
  


Harry saw that Neville backed away, shaking. "No," Neville whispered. "Please don't tell them..."

  
  


"What're you talking about?" Ron demanded.

  
  


"You mean none of you know about Longbottom's parents?" leered Malfoy.

  
  


"Malfoy," Neville pleaded in a trembling voice. "Don't tell them... I'm begging you..."

  
  


Malfoy advanced on them, a foul smile on his pointed face. "Father told me that his parents were tortured by one of the Unforgivable Curses after the Dark Lord disappeared. Do you know where they are now? St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. They're insane."

  
  


Ron and Hermione stared at him in horror. "You're lying," Ron snarled.

  
  


"Ask Longbottom then," said Malfoy, a smug look on his face. "Ask him, if you think I'm lying."

  
  


Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned to Neville. "Is this true, Neville?" Hermione asked in a quiet, gentle tone.

  
  


Neville didn't have to answer her. The look on his face said everything. Looking as though he was about to cry, he bolted from the ball. Shooting dirty looks at Malfoy, Ron and Harry, ran after him. Hermione followed seconds later, too worried about Neville to take points off of Slytherin.

  
  


Harry had discovered this information about Neville's parents in his fourth year, but didn't tell Ron and Hermione because he thought Neville should tell him when he was ready. Since Malfoy's parents were Dark wizards, Malfoy must have found out about Neville's parents about him. Harry was furious. Malfoy seemed to sink to a lower level every year, and this was about as low as it gets.

  
  


By the time the three entered the Gryffindor common room, there could be sobs heard from the boy's dormitory. They entered the dormitory ( even though Hermione wasn't allowed to) and found Neville lying on his bed, sobbing hysterically.

  
  


"So it's true," Ron said incredulously. "Neville, why didn't you tell us about this? We're your friends. We would have understood."

  
  


"Ron!" Hermione admonished him. "It's Neville's business, and if he didn't want to tell us, then he didn't have to!"

  
  


Neville looked up at them. "I-I was going to tell you," he choked. "b-but I wasn't ready t-to. Y-You know, I visit them during the holidays... but they don't even recognize me... no matter how much I talk to them..."

  
  


"Oh, Neville," murmured Hermione sympathetically.

  
  


Neville gulped. "Do you know what I hear every time I run into a dementor? I... I c-c-can hear..." It seemed as though he couldn't bring themselves to say it. Finally he burst out, "I can hear those... those *people* torturing my parents. I can hear them screaming until the Ministry captures the D-Death Eaters... and then my parents mutter crazy talk... I'm not sure that's what really happened because I wasn't there... but that's how my Gran described it to me.... and it's so horrible..." He trailed off.

  
  


"Neville, I'm so sorry," said Ron. Harry and Hermione nodded.

  
  


Neville buried his face in his pillows. "Please just leave me alone," he sobbed. 

  
  


For about a half hour, Hermione did her best to comfort Neville, but he just kept on crying. Finally, Harry muttered to her, "We should go." And slowly, reluctantly, they left the dormitory, leaving Neville to his woes.

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


Okay, before you all flame me to kingdom come, I felt that since Harry lost his innocence in book 3 after finding out the gruesome details of his parents' deaths (and discovering who betrayed him, even though he thought it was Sirius), I thought maybe Neville should lose some of his innocence as well. Once again, poor Neville. Up next: Professor Clark's concern about Neville leads to a confrontation with Snape (since he's the one who gives Neville the most crap), and we see a little appearance of Neville's guardian angel... Stay tuned! 

  
  
  
  


  
  



	6. Celeste

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Harry Potter. *Sigh*. November 16 better come soon because I'm really excited about seeing the movie, though I will still read the books til the end.

  
  


Chapter Six- Celeste

  
  


Two months went by, and news about Neville's parents quickly spread, thanks to Malfoy. Neville never spoke to anyone, and after classes, after doing his homework, he pulled the curtains around his bed and stayed there, supposedly crying. He didn't even go on weekend trips to Hogsmeade, the nearby wizarding village anymore. 

  
  


Snape's bullying of Neville during Potions became worse, and Harry couldn't help but feel furious. Neville had enough problems lately without Snape giving him a hard time. In fact, none of the teachers really noticed this change in Neville, except for Professor Clark and Hagrid...

  
  


"He keeps asking Neville if there's something wrong," commented Harry on a weekend trip to Hogsmeade, late in the month of November. He, Ron, and Hermione were in The Three Broomsticks, sipping butterbeers. 

  
  


"Well, it is nice of him, but I don't know if he can help Neville right now," replied Hermione. 

  
  


"Snape's not making it any better!" retorted Ron. "Since everybody's heard about Neville's parents, you'd think the man would have a bit more sympathy!"

  
  


"Ron, Snape isn't exactly the sympathetic type," said Harry. "Still, what Professor Clark and Hagrid are doing is better than what Snape's doing. At least they're actually trying to make him feel better..."

  
  


Ron pounded the table with his fist angrily. "This is all Malfoy's fault!" he snapped. "We'll be lucky if we ever get to talk to Neville again!"

  
  


"Give him time," said Hermione, taking a sip of butterbeer. "I'm sure that he'll come around." Then she turned to Harry. "Do you still have that weird feeling that you know Professor Clark?"

  
  


"Kind of," admitted Harry. 

  
  


"How could she seem familiar if you've just met her?" asked Ron. 

  
  


"I think I might know," said Harry quietly.

  
  


"Let's hear it then!" said Ron. He and Hermione leaned in to listen.

  
  


"Before I ever knew about Hogwarts, I used to see these strangers in the street that seemed to know me," Harry began. "Of course, later on, I found out that these were witches and wizards in the Muggle world who wanted to see me. I think that maybe Professor Clark was one of those witches and wizards."

  
  


"Where do you think you saw her?" asked Hermione.

  
  


"It was when I was about seven, I think. I had just finished being beaten up by Dudley and his gang at my old school, and believe me, that was no picnic. Anyway, the supervising teacher took me to the nurse's office, and instead of the usual nurse... there was this woman; she looked quite young to me. She was actually nice to me, which was strange. I guess she felt sorry for me."

  
  


"What happened next?" Ron inquired.

  
  


"She asked what happened to me, and I said that I was beaten up. I didn't say who did, because if Dudley found out that I told on him.... well you get the idea. Then she said it was good that I didn't fight back because...." He strained his memory, trying to remember. "It was something about a friend that she had, that he fought back to people that hurt him. Sounded really sad about it."

  
  


"Did she say what happened to him?" said Hermione.

  
  


"She just said he wasn't around anymore. Maybe he died... I dunno, it was none of my business. So then she cleaned up my cuts and sent me back to recess, saying that she was really glad to meet me."

  
  


"I don't get it," said Ron. "So some woman was nice to you. What's so weird about that?"

  
  


Harry frowned. "You don't get it, do you? You both have families who care about you. My family doesn't even care tuppence about me! In fact... I can't even call them my family because they never acted like it. Every time I came back there hurt because someone at school beat me up, did they care? No! A real family would have. Just because someone is related to you, does not automatically make them your family. Not only that, but other people never showed any sympathy to me in my life. Before I met you guys, I never had any friends because all my classmates were too scared to stand up to Dudley or give him the slightest hint that they liked me! During gym, I was always picked last for teams So basically, someone being nice to me when I got beat up was a very rare moment."

  
  


He took a few steadying breaths after he said all this. Then he went on, "And I was too afraid to stand up to the Dursleys, because they made it clear that if I ever made trouble, I'd get flayed to an inch of my life. But I'm not a little boy anymore, and I'm not going to let them push me around because they're bigots. The second I finish my seventh year at Hogwarts next year, I am getting out of that house. If never see those... *those people* ever again, it will be too soon!"

  
  


He got up, grabbed his cloak, and left, leaving Ron and Hermione lost for words.

  
  


***

When he got back to Hogwarts, he accidently ran into Professor Clark in the corridors. 

  
  


"Oh, sorry, Professor," Harry apologized. 

  
  


"It's okay," Professor Clark assured him. "In fact, I want to talk to you."

  
  


"Er... all right," said Harry, a bit puzzled.

  
  


"You're one of Neville's friends, so I was wondering, because I know he's going through a hard time right now, if there is anything I can do to help him."

  
  


"Not unless you can convince Snape to stop bullying him," Harry muttered under his breath. But Professor Clark heard him.

  
  


"Why does he bully Neville?" asked Professor Clark.

  
  


"Oh, never mind," said Harry quickly. "Hermione says to just give him time and he'll be okay."

  
  


"Well, okay," said Professor Clark, a bit of doubt in her tone of voice. Then she asked, "Is there something wrong? You look upset."

  
  


"I'm fine," Harry mumbled, walking back to Gryffindor Tower.

  
  


***

At the words, "I'm fine," Fiona flinched. Of course she knew Harry wasn't "fine". Every time her first child looked upset and she asked him what was wrong, he always said that he was fine, when he wasn't. He didn't like to open up to anybody very much. Not after he turned fourteen, he didn't...

  
  


Fiona shook that thought off, and headed towards Snape's office. Maybe Neville did need some time alone, but that still didn't give Snape the right to bully Neville, especially now.

  
  


Be polite, she reminded herself. Everybody in Heaven knew for a fact that Severus Snape was a very unpleasant man. However, everybody also knew the reason why Snape was so bitter nowadays. It was also the same reason why Snape had stopped supporting Voldemort...

  
  


Fiona was very uncomfortable about confronting Snape like this, but something had to be done. If this didn't work, she'd have to get some help, and she knew exactly who to get it from...

  
  


When she reached Snape's office, she knocked on the door. It opened, and Snape stood in the doorway. He seemed very surprised to see her.

  
  


"Oh, hello, Professor Clark," he said. "What are you doing here?"

  
  


"I wanted to talk to you about Neville Longbottom," Fiona said politely.

  
  


"Oh? Is he causing any catastrophes yet? Well, you'll have to get used to that. Longbottom's a walking disaster."

  
  


Fiona frowned ever so slightly, but still remembered her manners. "No, actually, he's a very good student in my class. I wanted to talk to you because I'm concerned about him. You see, I'm sure you've probably heard the news about Neville's parents spreading around the whole school. He's been pretty upset about it..."

  
  


"So what do you want me to do about it?" asked Snape in hard tone.

  
  


"Well, I've heard that since Neville tends to be a bit accident-prone, you seem to be hard on him a lot. I was just wondering if you could... you know, be more understanding when Neville makes mistakes, because I think it upsets him more these days."

  
  


"I treat all my students the same. There aren't any exceptions in my class."

  
  


Except for the ones in your House, Fiona was bursting to say. Keeping a steady grip on what was left of her patience, she said, as calmly as humanly possible, "If you could just be a bit more sensitive towards him, Professor..."

  
  


"Don't tell me how to do my job, and I won't tell you to do yours," said Snape coldly. 

  
  


Fiona clenched her fists. Keep calm, she kept telling herself. It was easier said than done. The nerve of this man! Taking a deep breath, she said slowly, "I see. I just thought that you'd be a bit more sympathetic towards a person who has lost their family." She dropped her voice down to a quiet tone as she said the next words, "Especially since you've lost yours."

  
  


She turned on her heel and left, not looking back. She headed to her office, furious as she had ever been. Then she stopped dead as she heard Ron and Hermione's voices from somewhere nearby.

  
  


"It was still fairly thoughtless of you to ask him that question, Ron."

  
  


"I know, I know, you don't have to keep reminding me. Harry is never usually that sensitive about his childhood."

  
  


"Well, imagine how he must feel! You hate being poor, but don't you ever stop to think how lucky you are, having a family that actually likes you?"

  
  


Fiona felt her anger melt away to concern and dread.

  
  


"Maybe when we get back to Gryffindor Tower, we should leave Harry alone til he cools down."

  
  


"Good idea. But from now on, please think about what you say to Harry involving his childhood!"

  
  


As Ron and Hermione left, Fiona felt her stomach clench. Harry was upset about not having a "family" that cared? She knew for a fact that Harry wanted his parents back, despite the fact that it was impossible. She also knew that Harry didn't hold a vendetta against Muggles or Muggle-borns... but could Harry's hatred of the Dursleys lead to hate of Muggles?

  
  


Stop it, Fiona thought furiously. Stop even considering that! He is not your first child. She never told anyone this, but her worst fear was that Harry could end up like her first child. To go through the pain of losing him the way she lost the first boy.... the very memory of what happened was just unbearable.

  
  


When Fiona entered her office, she almost jumped. There was someone else in her office. But as soon as she recognized who was there, she calmed herself down.

  
  


"Hello, Celeste," she said quietly.

  
  


Being an angel in human form, Fiona could naturally see angels when humans couldn't, and that was exactly what Celeste was. In fact, Celeste was a very close friend of Fiona's.

  
  


Celeste was an angel with black hair, dark skin, and merry looking eyes. Like Fiona, she was also a guardian angel; Neville's angel, in fact. "Hello, Fiona," she said cheerfully. "I was coming down here to see Neville, to try to cheer him up a bit, and I'd thought I'd drop by to say hello."

  
  


"Well, it's good to see you," replied Fiona, sitting down in a chair. "I was going to summon you anyway. Poor Neville. He's so torn up about everyone knowing about his parents. I guess he wasn't ready to tell the others yet."

  
  


"No, he wasn't," said Celeste, shaking her head. "Have you found out why Harry is in danger yet?"

  
  


"Not really," she said shrugging. "I think it might have something to do with the dementors. You know they're one of Voldemort's many allies."

  
  


"Horrible things," muttered Celeste. "I don't know why the Ministry has those beasts in that wizard prison. Not only are they on Voldemort's side, but the innocent people that were thrown into Azkaban had to suffer too. Like Harry's godfather: twelve years in that place has given him that horrid, deadened look."

  
  


"He was one of the lucky ones, to have gotten away like that" said Fiona softly. "The other innocent people have found peace with us now, the poor souls." She fell silent.

  
  


"I hope you're alright with staying here," said her friend. 

  
  


"What do you mean? Of course I'm alright staying at this place. Why wouldn't I be? It's wonderful."

  
  


"It is a wonderful place. But what is not so wonderful about it is due to the fact that your first child went to this school. Doesn't that bring up memories?"

  
  


"Of course it does," Fiona answered, a little curtly. "But I don't need to be at this school to remember what happened."

  
  


"Fiona," Celeste said softly, a bit of pity in her voice. "It's in the past. Let it go."

  
  


"Let it go?!" she asked incredulously. "How can I let it go? He was my first child. I was supposed to protect him! I know I've found another one to protect, and I do love him with all my soul, but... I don't know how to describe this, but it feels like he's come back to haunt me. Look, he went to this school! He ate in the Great Hall! He walked through these corridors! He attended classes in my room! Not to mention that every time I pass the House he lived in during terms.... and the trophy room..." She trailed off and started shaking all over. 

  
  


"It was his choice, Fiona," protested Celeste. "He chose his path. You did the best you could... but for some reason, it just didn't get through to the boy."

  
  


"That isn't an excuse," she whispered, her voice filled with pain. "I want to know why this happened. He was only a boy! Why do the offspring of the sinners have to pay for their family's mistakes? And why do the innocent often suffer because of that?"

  
  


"Hmmm," Celeste paced around the room. "There are many mysteries that we cannot solve, you know that."

  
  


Fiona nodded.

  
  


"He changed you, your first one did. After what happened, you seemed like a shadow of your former self... until you chose Harry to protect. Sometimes, you still seem like a shadow. I just pray that you can finally pull yourself together and move on from your first boy, for Harry's sake."

  
  


There was an awkward silence between them. Then Celeste said, "I guess I'll go to Neville's dormitory and wait there until I can enter his dreams. I'll see you on Christmas Eve, Fiona."

  
  


Fiona nodded. Then Celeste passed through the closed door of her office and left. Fiona sat there for a long time after that, lost in her thoughts.

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


All right, for those of you who are wanting to know the identity of Fiona's first child, the next chapter will end your waiting. So stay tuned, because you do NOT want to miss the next chapter of this fic! I hope you all liked this chapter.

  
  


P.S. Regarding how I got the names of Fiona and Celeste: Fiona was the name suggestion of a friend of mine, and Celeste means "heavenly".

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  



	7. The Boy Who Was Lost

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Harry Potter, or any of these characters except for Fiona and Celeste. Note: This is one of the many upcoming chapters of this tale where the drama *really* kicks in. Just thought I'd warn you. Plus, you'll find out what Celeste meant when she said, "See you on Christmas Eve."

  
  


Chapter Seven- The Boy Who Was Lost

  
  


The next morning, at breakfast in the Great Hall, Neville sat next to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny with a sad look on his face. Harry thought this was a big step for Neville; for the past two months, he hadn't sat next to anyone he knew during meals.

  
  


"Hi, Neville," said Hermione softly. Neville mumbled a reply.

  
  


As dementors entered the Great Hall and swooped past the Gryffindor table, Neville slumped in his chair miserably. Hermione shot the other three a look that plainly said, "Give him time."

  
  


Finally, Ron couldn't take it anymore. "Neville," he said. "Don't pay any attention to Malfoy. He's a jerk! You're still our friend, and we're worried about you!"

  
  


"The dementors will leave soon," Hermione said, trying to assure him. "Dumbledore doesn't allow them in the school for long... remember our third year. And just ignore the Slytherins and they'll forget about it."

  
  


Neville's lips twitched into a small smile.

  
  


"And Christmas is coming soon!" said Ginny, trying to change the subject. "Are you going to stay with your grandmother?"

  
  


"I was going to," said Neville slowly. "But someone changed my mind."

  
  


"Who?" asked Harry.

  
  


"A friend," Neville said simply. "A very close friend."

  
  


He wouldn't say anything more than that. 

  
  


"Have you noticed that Professor Clark and Snape have been avoiding each other lately?" asked Hermione. 

  
  


"Not really," said Harry. "Why?"

  
  


"I just find it curious. Anyway, it's none of our business..."

  
  


***

December came very quickly. Harry was surprised at how fast the months seemed to pass. It was probably due to the fact that nothing eventful happened often this year, other than what Malfoy did to Neville, Fudge staying at Hogwarts with the dementors... 

  
  


Professor Clark's lessons were very interesting. She taught everyone that you could avoid the dementors' horrible draining powers by a powerful positive thought, like how you preformed a very powerful Patronus. And as Harry often walked through the corridors and saw Professor Clark and Snape through the same halls, they walked past each other without saying a word. It was very strange...

  
  


The other strange thing involving Professor Clark that everyone seemed to talk about was that thing she wore around her neck that chased off the dementors. Nobody was sure what it was, but there were plenty rumors of what it might be; some strange guesses were garlic (though Harry knew that garlic only worked on vampires), a powerful amulet, or a tiny orb of positive thoughts, because of the fact that one of the strategies that Professor Clark taught was positive thinking. Whatever Professor Clark was wearing around her neck, she certainly wasn't telling what it was.

  
  


As the holidays began and the Christmas decorations were getting put up in the Great Hall, the Christmas spirit that lingered toward all the students staying at Hogwarts during the holidays was broken often by the dementors that kept gliding by. They seemed to show up wherever people were happy, so that they could make everyone miserable in no time. Dumbledore was getting very angry about this.

  
  


"I don't know how the school can put up with those things lurking around all the time," Harry, Ron, and Hermione heard Dumbledore saying to Professor Clark in the Great Hall on the morning of Christmas Eve. "Every time I argue with Fudge to remove the dementors, he keeps threatening to fire me."

  
  


"There has to be some way to convince him that the dementors are dangerous and that Voldemort has returned," Professor Clark said. In an angry tone, she added, "There's no telling if those beasts will try to attempt their horrid Kiss on an innocent student."

  
  


Harry and the others glanced at each other curiously. It was impossible to tell who hated the dementors more: Dumbledore or Professor Clark.

  
  


***

As the sun set on that day, Fiona looked out the window of her office feeling a mixture of excitement and sadness each passing minute. As soon as it was ten o' clock, she would do the tradition that all the guardian angels of the students of Hogwarts did every Christmas Eve. It was a very Holy and sacred event. The angels would gather in the Great Hall for a two hour meditation period, and when the clock struck midnight, they'd go to the houses of the child they were supposed to protect and silently wish them peace.

  
  


It brought back so many memories of her first child. She used to do this every Christmas Eve he spent at Hogwarts, and every time, every single time she wished him peace, she also wished that every thing would turn out okay for him...

  
  


But that was not to be. Why? she asked herself for the thousandth time. Why did this happen to him? It wasn't fair. Why do such things have to happen? It could have turned out differently if you had made the right choice....

  
  


Tom...

  
  


That was his name. Tom Marvolo Riddle. The orphan who grew up to be a complete stranger... a stranger to Fiona anyway. Voldemort couldn't have been more different from the boy she was supposed to protect. Well, he was different when it started out, anyway. Her first child had grown up to ruin so many lives, including Harry's...

  
  


Maybe this was why she chose Harry to protect after Tom. She felt responsible for the untimely deaths of Harry's parents because she blamed herself for the way Tom turned out, even though she knew, somewhere in her mind, that it was Tom's choice.

  
  


Fiona glanced at the clock. Five minutes til ten. Time sure flies by when you relive so many memories...

  
  


"It's time," Fiona whispered to herself. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and released her self conscious self, morphing into her angel form. She stretched out her wings. It felt like such a long time since she had last used them. After that, she passed through her office door and headed towards the Great Hall.

  
  


She could see a huge group of angels heading to the Great Hall also. There was a calm feeling inside of her. She had always looked forward to this event in the past. She still did, but it was different this time. She knew why... it was because of Tom.

  
  


Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom... Everything always went back to Tom. It was as though he would keep on haunting her for all eternity, which was a very long time for angels, for they are immortal, being pure spirit. 

The worst part of remembering Tom constantly was the fact that he and Harry had an eerie resemblance; they had the same color of hair (although Tom's was much neater), the same pale skin, and they could both talk to snakes. Except Tom was a few inches taller than Harry. Not to mention that he much thinner than Harry, he didn't have a scar or wore glasses, and the eyes...

  
  


The eyes were the main difference when it came to appearance between Tom and Harry. Harry's eyes were emerald green. Tom's eyes were a shade of royal blue. When had been younger, those eyes seemed to be pleading endlessly, "Take me. Love me."

  
  


Poor Tom. That was the one thing he wanted that he never had. Love. Later in life, those eyes seemed to show no emotion at all. Just like Tom.

  
  


When Fiona reached the Great Hall, the others sat on the floor and began to meditate, Celeste being on of them. Fiona sat next to Celeste and tried to meditate alone with everybody else. But she couldn't stop thinking about Tom. It seemed that the only way to clear him from her mind right now was to think about what had happened, even though it was so unbearable.

  
  


Every day, Fiona asked herself the eternal question: "Why did I pick Tom to begin with?" There were a million possible answers to the question, but one stood out from all the rest: "He was alone in the world."

  
  


Tom's mother, Belle, had been a blood relative of one of the Hogwarts Four, Salazar Slytherin. But she couldn't have been more different from her family; she was a good one, Belle was. The only flaw to her personality was that she had bad taste in men. She fell in love with a Muggle man named Tom Riddle. Her family, being made up of "pure bloods", had strongly disapproved of this relationship, and when Belle decided to marry this man, her family had cut her off completely, disowned her...

  
  


Belle became pregnant with Tom's son, and she confessed to Tom that she was a witch. Was Tom understanding? No. Tom Riddle was bigoted against magic, very much like Harry's Uncle Vernon. He abandoned her. Not too long after that, a very ill Belle gave birth to her son. She only had enough time to name her son after his father and her father: Tom Marvolo Riddle. She died after that and her son was sent to an orphanage far away.

  
  


Fiona pitied this motherless child and decided to choose him to protect. By the time Tom was five, he had been beaten by the head of the orphanage countless times. He had no friends whatsoever. That's when Fiona decided to visit him in his dreams. Fiona recalled their first conversation vividly...

  
  


***

In the first dream, the boy was walking in the dark when he met her. "Hello, Tom," Fiona greeted him with a smile.

  
  


"Who are you?" the little boy asked her.

  
  


"My name is Fiona. I'm your guardian angel."

  
  


The boy stared at her. "You certainly look like an angel, with the wings and everything."

  
  


"You don't believe me? Well, let me prove it to you. Could a human do this?"

  
  


She raised both of her hands, and the darkness became a sunny little field in the countryside. The boy looked at sight with wide eyes. "What's your name again?"

  
  


"Fiona."

  
  


The boy looked her over up and down. Then he gave her a sad little smile. "Do you mind if I call you Fi?"

  
  


***

From that day on, Fiona became known as Fi to Tom. Tom said it sounded prettier to him. Fiona usually didn't like nicknames, but Fi was a nice name to go by, so it sort of grew on her. Every night after that, "Fi" would visit Tom in his dreams, in the illusion of a field she created him. When he was sad, Fiona would comfort him. When Tom was happy, so was Fiona. Those were the good days...

  
  


Then, at the age of eleven, Tom got his acceptance letter from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and discovered that he was a wizard and that his mother was a witch. Tom didn't know about his father... not yet...

  
  


Tom was so excited to start his training in magic. He was nervous, but very confident all the same. Fiona assured him that he'd be a great wizard.

  
  


Everything seemed to go okay at Hogwarts, for a while, with the small exception of Tom being sorted into Slytherin, where most Dark wizards were born...

  
  


"It doesn't matter what House you're in, you don't have to end up like the other Slytherins if you don't want to," Fiona told him constantly. The other students, especially the Gryffindors, never liked the Slytherins. Tom didn't exactly fit in with the Slytherins either; they kept calling him a "Mudblood" even though Tom was part Muggle.

  
  


However, Tom was a quick learner. By the end of his first year, he on top of all his classes and aced all his exams. Fiona was so proud of him.

  
  


Things seemed to turn out fine. Fiona really believed that Tom's troubles were over. But they were just beginning. 

  
  


When Tom turned thirteen, he'd overheard a conversation between Dumbledore, the Transfiguration teacher back then, and the headmaster, Professor Dippet about Tom's mother. They both knew her very well, and unfortunately, they were talking about when Tom's father had abandoned his wife. Tom could hardly believe his ears.

  
  


That night, Tom was sobbing in Fiona's arms. It's horrible enough to know that your parents are dead... but to find out that your mother is dead, and that your father abandoned you and your mother because you were different... that was even more painful. 

  
  


After Tom had stopped crying, he asked Fiona if she could give him a memory of his mother. Angels can project memories or fantasies to other people; it's one of their many powers. Fiona wasn't sure, but Tom looked so sad that she had given in. She showed him the night that he was born. It was one of those memories that was very sad, but heartwarming at the same time. When the memory ended, Tom was very quiet. Fiona had expected Tom to start crying again (and she wouldn't have blamed him), but he didn't. The expression on his face was... she didn't know what it was.

  
  


From that day on, all the energy Tom had was put into his schoolwork. He continued to ace all of his classes, but something about him changed. He seemed to show less emotions. The real friends that he did have... he began pushing them out of his life. But that wasn't the worst of it: every time he fell asleep, he didn't even bother to see Fiona anymore.

  
  


And he started doing bad things... he snuck into the Restricted Section of the library to study Dark magic. That was where he learned about the Chamber of Secrets. In his fifth year, he released that horrible serpent from the chamber, and it- it murdered a Muggle-born student. That was Tom's intentions; ever since he found out his father, he began a grudge against Muggles, Muggle-borns, and Squibs alike. After the murder of the student, Tom framed a third year for the crime, and he was expelled. If that wasn't bad enough, Tom even made up a new name for himself: Lord Voldemort. He was starting to behave like a true Slytherin.

  
  


Lonely and distraught, Fiona was determined not to give up on Tom. Even though what he was doing was wrong, she still loved him. She believed there was good in every single person, and she hoped that her love for Tom would get through to him...

  
  


And then, Tom did the most terrible thing of all. Just thinking of it made Fiona shudder. The summer after his fifth year, he found out where his father lived. He went there, confronted his father and grandparents, and... and...

  
  


He killed them. He killed them. Fiona couldn't believe it. Tom's father was a bigot, and his parents weren't better off... but no one ever deserved to be murdered! A murder at the age of sixteen. That was when Fiona decided that if there was any way to save Tom from the person he was becoming, it had to be done now....

  
  


***

She appeared in his dream a few nights later. The two of them were standing in the usual field, but it wasn't sunny this time. It was covered in mist, the sky cloudy. Tom was just staring at her as though she was a complete stranger.

  
  


"Tom," she said to him. "what you're doing... it's not right. Why are you acting like this, Tom? The path your leading will lead to self destruction! For God's sake, Tom, please change your ways! It's not too late!"

  
  


There was no response. "Tom, please say something!" she pleaded.

  
  


Finally, Tom spoke. "Tom Riddle is dead. I am Lord Voldemort. You mean nothing to me now."

  
  


It was as though Tom had reached in and ripped out Fiona's soul.

  
  


He turned away from her, left her to plead with him in vain. He vanished, never to visit Fiona in his dreams again...

  
  


***

"Fiona!" Celeste's voice disrupted her memory. "Fiona, it's time to go to the Gryffindor common room!"

  
  


"Oh," Fiona looked around her. The other angels were heading out of the Great Hall. Fiona stood up and followed Celeste and the other guardian angels of the Gryffindors to the common room. 

  
  


"Do me a favor," Fiona whispered to Celeste on the way. "Please don't mention Tom." Tears were filling in her eyes. The memories of Tom speaking those horrible words to her was more than she could bear, but she managed to pull herself together enough to still go through with the procession.

  
  


When they arrived to the Gryffindor common room, they headed straight to the dormitories of the ones they were protecting. Fiona went to the boy's dormitory with Celeste and a few others. She knelt beside Harry's bed, and began the ritual.

  
  


"Dear God," she prayed silently. "Give this boy peace. He deserves it. And whatever you do, don't let him end up like Tom."

  
  


As soon as the others were finished, Fiona smiled at Harry and left with Celeste and the others. The angels were preparing to return to Heaven. Fiona waved goodbye to them, and, still in her angel form, walked around the castle. There was something she had to do...

  
  


She entered the trophy room and found the gold shield with Tom's initials on it. She stared at it for a very long time. It could have ended differently. Why did it end the way it did?

  
  


Maybe it was because she had never really known Tom. Oh sure, she knew little details about him: his favorite food, his favorite color, his dream to travel around the world. But other than that, Tom had always been on the mysterious side. The dreams that Tom had about having a loving family, a huge number of friends, and having a happy life could have just been the fantasies of a lonely orphan.

  
  


As Tom Marvolo Riddle, the boy had been an enigma. Now as Lord Voldemort, he was a complete stranger to Fiona and the others that knew him. Fiona hated Lord Voldemort and all the sorrows he brought on others, but she could never bring herself to hate the little boy she once protected...

  
  


"Tom," she whispered in a voice filled with pain. Then she covered her face in her hands and wept.

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


Okay, I am really sorry if this part of the story seemed the least bit corny. I just thought that the guardian angel of Harry once being the angel of Tom Riddle would be a good ring to the story. Plus, I liked the fanfic "I am Lord Voldemort", by Nemesis. I admit it, I'm kind of a softie when it comes to stories that makes you feel sorry for Voldie. Anyway, the drama continues in the next part as the reason why Snape stopped supporting Voldemort is revealed. And rest assured, IT DOES NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH LILY POTTER. Hint: If you recall what Fiona said to Snape in chapter 6, it has something to do with that. Stay tuned!

  
  


  
  


  
  



	8. Memories of A Sister

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and company. Note: I apologize if the last chapter was in the slightest bit corny. I admit it, I'm an old softy, but I hope you all still keep reading this story. Also, this story contains my little theory of why Snape stopped supporting Voldemort. Enjoy!

  
  


Chapter Eight- Memories of A Sister

A blanket of snow had settled itself on Hogwarts on Christmas morning. It was perfect weather for a huge snowball fight for Harry and the others in the late afternoon. The thoughts of how he somehow knew Professor Clark were quickly driven out of his mind, for the moment, as he was trying to avoid being hit by snowballs. 

  
  


When they all came back in the castle soaking wet, it was time for Christmas Tea. There was food and cheery faces everywhere in the Great Hall, with the exception of Snape, which wasn't at all uncommon. It was a typical Hogwarts Christmas Tea (with the exception of Fudge sitting a good distance away from Dumbledore: Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet, wizard crackers were being opened everywhere... There was only one thing strange in the Great Hall..

  
  


Professor Clark was no where to be seen.

  
  


"So?" Ron asked when Harry noticed this. "I dunno, Harry. Maybe she was ill."

  
  


"Well, remember our third year Christmas Tea when Lupin was missing the meal?" pointed out Hermione. "He was ill that time."

  
  


"Lupin was a werewolf, Hermione."

  
  


"How do we know that Professor Clark isn't a werewolf either?" 

  
  


"Professor Clark isn't a werewolf," said Harry in exasperation. "In fact, she's the first Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've had that hasn't had something weird about her, aside from that thing she does against the dementors."

  
  


"But that's just it, Harry!" said Hermione. "We've never had a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that hasn't had something weird about her. And you just said she can do something against the dementors. It has to do with whatever she has around her neck."

  
  


"Hermione, just relax and eat," said Ron. "It's Christmas, and whatever she around her neck is none of our business unless she tells us."

  
  


"Oh, fine," snapped Hermione. "Other than the whole dementor thing, Professor Clark is nice. It's just too bad that she's only staying this year..."

  
  


***

Harry and the others weren't the only ones wondering where Professor Clark was. Professor McGonagall asked Dumbledore, "Do you know where Fiona is? None of us have seen her all day."

  
  


"She informed me that she wasn't feeling well," said Dumbledore shortly. "She looked terrible, her eyes were all puffy and bloodshot. It looked as though she didn't get any sleep last night."

  
  


"Headmaster," Snape said quietly to him, so that no one else could hear. "may I have a word with you after the feast?"

  
  


Dumbledore nodded. When everyone but he and Snape left the Great Hall, Dumbledore asked him, "What did you wish to speak to me about?"

  
  


"Exactly how much information did you give to Professor Clark about Voldemort and how he has rose again?" 

  
  


"Everything she needed to know, Severus," Dumbledore replied.

  
  


"Including about my involvement with him," said Snape coldly.

  
  


"Certainly. If she was to be teaching here, she needed to know all about what has been going on up until now. Don't you agree?"

  
  


"Yes, yes," said Snape irritably. "It's just that I'd like to keep the reason behind me quitting the Death Eaters... well, private."

  
  


"How did you find out that she knew?"

  
  


"Well... about a month ago, she came up to me, asking if I could be a bit kinder to Longbottom because of all the news about his parents going around the school. I told her not to tell me how to do my job. Then she said that I should have more sympathy to a person who has lost their family, especially since I lost mine..."

  
  


"I see," nodded Dumbledore. 

  
  


"Miranda's death was none of her business," said Snape in a hard tone. 

  
  


"You've never been the same since she was murdered," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "Maybe she thought that you were taking it out on your students."

  
  


"It's none of her business," snapped Snape. "And I don't tell her how to do my job."

  
  


He walked off into the corridors. Halfway to his office he stopped in his tracks, remembering what Dumbledore had said.

  
  


What did he mean that she might have thought that he was taking out his sister's death out on his students for all these years he had been teaching? The idea was absurd. But then again, his sister was very hard to live without.

  
  


Miranda was Snape's twin sister, but they couldn't have been more different in personality. Miranda was always cheerful, friendly, and optimistic, while Snape was always so... moody.

  
  


Their parents had died when they were young, so they were all each other had. They argued a lot, as siblings often do, but they still cared deeply for each other. They even went to Hogwarts together, though they were sorted into different Houses: Miranda was in Ravenclaw and Snape ended up in Slytherin.

  
  


There were few things that Snape, looking back on his life, wasn't proud of, and getting involved with the Dark Side was one of them. "Why did I ever join the Dark Side in the first place?" he often asked himself. There were a lot of reasons, he supposed. Maybe being parentless was one of them...

  
  


By the time he was in second year, he knew more Dark magic then all the seventh year students combined. Miranda, on the other hand, was on top of all of her classes and was made a prefect... very like that Hermione Granger. She was also very popular, and (according to some boys) very pretty.

  
  


However, when most of her friends made fun of her brother, Miranda always frowned and said, "Oh, leave him alone. He's a good person." Miranda always thought there was good in everybody.

  
  


After they graduated from Hogwarts, Miranda and Snape hardly saw each other anymore, except when Snape came to visit her every so often. Miranda went to get a job in the Ministry of Magic... while Snape joined the Death Eaters. Miranda didn't know of course. 

  
  


Snape remembered the countless times he and the Death Eaters murdered innocent families, wizards and Muggles alike, and wondered why, why didn't he feel for those families they tore apart. Probably because he place themselves in their shoes, so to speak. A young and foolish man he was back then. He never once stopped to think about the horrible things they did...

  
  


Until it happened to him...

  
  


It before Voldemort fell. Snape had come over to Miranda's house to visit her, only to find the house in ruins. Everything was destroyed. Horrified, Snape called out Miranda's name, but there was no reply. And then... he looked down and saw Miranda's dead body...

  
  


He didn't believe that she was dead at first. He shook her, yelled her name, and even tried to revive her with the Awakening Spell as though he thought she was just Stunned.

  
  


But she wasn't. His sister was gone forever.

  
  


He didn't have to ask who murdered her. Every time Voldemort killed a family, he always left their house in ruins. And usually the people he killed were "meddlers" in the Ministry of Magic.

  
  


At that moment, Snape understood how horrible the crimes he and the others committed, and how little mercy Voldemort showed to his followers and their families. 

  
  


So he went back over to Dumbledore's side and turned spy against Voldemort. But he never fully recovered from his sister's death. He blamed himself repeatedly; if he had realized the error of his ways sooner... maybe Miranda would still be here today...

  
  


Snape shook himself mentally and strode back to his office. Stop thinking about the bloody past, he thought to himself. This is why you're hear: to keep Voldemort from killing others just like Miranda...

  
  


***

Fiona sat in her office alone. She did want to go the Christmas feast... but she sat in the trophy room so long, crying her eyes out, that she didn't feel up to it. It was just like how she felt after she returned to Heaven.... after Tom had turned his back on her.

  
  


It was very strange. She lived in a place of dreams and blessings, but somehow, life seemed meaningless without Tom. She had lost her best friend. How could life get any worse than that? she had kept thinking. She vowed she'd never pick another child to protect again...

  
  


Until Harry was born. The Potters were such a nice family that a lot of angels volunteered to be their son's guardian angel. So most of them spent the first year of Harry's life observing and watching over him. Fiona went with them also, after Celeste had urged her constantly to go. She said it would be good for her.

  
  


For a long time, it seemed as though this Potter child would have a happy life with kind and loving parents. But then, tragedy struck. Voldemort came and murdered the Potters that fateful Halloween night, leaving Harry to be raised by his horrible relatives...

  
  


The angels knew perfectly well that his relatives would be cruel to little Harry because he was "different". Fiona felt sorry for this little boy, and to everyone's surprise (including her own) she volunteered to be his angel. 

  
  


As the years went by, she had grown to love this lonely little boy, but at the same time, she never stopped thinking about Tom. The sole reason she had took human form and visited when he was seven was to give him faith, to make sure that he wouldn't lose faith like Tom. And the rest, as they say, is history...

  
  


Now she was in human form again, to protect Harry from whatever was going to happen to him this year.... Fiona had a sudden thought. What if the thing she was trying to protect him from was his own dark side? The previous month he did seem to be a bit touchy from Ron not understanding why it was so strange to meet a kind adult in his childhood.

  
  


Could it be? Fiona thought. Is it possible? No... I'm not going to let Harry end up like Tom!

  
  


Fiona shuddered. If it was true, she wouldn't let it happen, because in her opinion, the only thing worse than Harry getting killed was Harry going to the Dark Side...

  
  


Just like Tom...

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


All right, I hope this chapter wasn't lame. As for the thing about Snape quitting the Death Eaters, I figure the reason would probably have to do with his family. Don't flame me, please! I have a right to my opinions of what is going to happen in the series too! Okay, up next: Harry has a really creepy dream... can't give away too many details about that, so stay tuned!

  
  


  
  


  
  



	9. Of Mists and Black Oceans

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Note: this chapter may seem a bit creepy, so be warned. Also, for a part later in this chapter, I thought I'd make one of the characters known in the story. No one falls in love with anyone in this chapter, so DON'T FLAME ME!

  
  


Chapter Nine: Of Mists and Black Oceans

  
  


The next several months went surprisingly fast for Harry. Everything seemed surprisingly normal, except for the dementors lurking around every corner. All the traumatic things that happened previously in the year seemed like distant memories nowadays. But Harry had been at Hogwarts too long to know that things would stay in this calm state.

  
  


And right he was. Things started to get a bit weird in the month of April, for Harry at least. It occurred one day, or rather one night. The day was perfectly normal. It was the night that was eerie...

  
  


Harry had gotten into bed and fell asleep immediately. Harry had always had weird dreams (if you count the ones where his scar ended up searing with pain) when he was at Hogwarts. But the one he had this night had to be the strangest, if not the creepiest.

  
  


He dreamed that he was on his bed, drifting on some kind of ocean. He couldn't see any land; most of his surroundings were covered in a white mist. Looking down at the water, Harry could see that its color was pitch black. Harry had never quite seen a black ocean before; he supposed it was just that color because of the weather.

  
  


That wasn't the only thing strange about this ocean. There was something about it that drew Harry to it, somehow. It was almost as though a voice inside his head was telling him to go in it. Harry knew for a fact that you should never go swimming in bad weather, but feeling he had to go in there was irresistible. He dove in.

  
  


Though the surface of the water was completely dark, the inside looked as though someone lit a flashlight in the water, Harry was able to see. This was a very strange ocean. Harry had the gut instinct that something he needed to find was in there... But what could it be?

  
  


Harry didn't have to wait long to find out. A moment later, he saw something nearby floating in the water. From where Harry was, it looked like a body. Alive or dead, Harry didn't know. Curious, he swam towards it. As soon as he got a close look at it, Harry let out a cry of amazement that ended up as bubbles.

  
  


It was the body of Tom Marvolo Riddle; Voldemort when he was sixteen years old. Harry had an encounter with a memory of Riddle in his second year, and he never forgot what he looked like.

  
  


Riddle's eyes were open, blank, and completely expressionless. It looked as though he was dead because his body was completely limp. For a moment that seemed like a hundred years, Harry stared into the face of the boy who grew up to be such a monster. Then he quickly swam to the surface, gasping for air.

  
  


Treading water, Harry looked around for the bed he was on, but it was no where to be found. "Hullo?" he called out. "Is anyone here?"

  
  


There was no response. 

  
  


Getting tired quick, shivering from the cold air, he yelled again, "Is someone there?"

  
  


Suddenly, the water began to rumble. Harry whirled around and saw shadowy figures with red gleaming eyes emerging from the black water. The things stared at Harry for a moment or two, and then they slowly walked towards him. 

  
  


Harry's first thought was to swim to the nearest shore- but he couldn't see anything in this fog. Instead, he cried out, "What are you?" 

  
  


The shadowy creatures made no response, they simply kept on walking towards him. They surrounded him, closing off every exit so that Harry couldn't swim away from them. Without warning, to Harry's horror, they seized him and started to pull them under the water.

  
  


Terrified, Harry tried to fight them off. He yelled for help, kicked them, and tried to slip out of their tight grasps. The creatures pulled him under the water. Unable to breath, Harry barely managed to wrench himself free, and surfaced, gulping in air. But the creatures weren't defeated yet; still underwater, they caught him by the ankle and tried to pull him back under.

  
  


Harry tried to yell for help again, but he was so exhausted from yelling and struggling against those things that he could barely make a sound. 

  
  


"Please," he said faintly. "Somebody... help me..." He knew he was fighting a losing battle. If nobody else came to help him, the creatures would drown him for sure.

  
  


As though someone had heard this thought, there came a million bright lights from within the mists. Whatever they were, they shone bright as stars. The one that was closest to Harry spoke to him in an echoing, silvery voice. 

  
  


"Fight it."

  
  


"Fight... what...?" Harry said in between gasps. He paddled like mad to keep his head out of the water. "What... is... this... place?"

  
  


"Unless you can fight it, the darkness will completely consume you."

  
  


"Please...." panted Harry, losing his strength. "I... need... help."

  
  


"Only you can pull yourself out. We are but guides. Only you can control your fate."

  
  


"I can't do it alone! Please help me! I... can't... fight... it... anymore..."

  
  


Harry couldn't move his limbs anymore. With a gigantic tug, the shadow creatures underwater pulled him under the pitch black ocean... Harry let out a scream as he sunk into the water...

  
  


Harry woke up gasping for air. He looked around him. He was in his dormitory, dry and warm. It was a dream... but it seemed so real....

  
  


What did it mean? What were those things he saw; the dark shadows and the bright lights? The whole dream made no sense at all...

  
  


Feeling wide awake and confused, Harry got out of bed and went to the common room. He was sure it was half-past midnight, judging from how dark it was outside. He sank into one of the armchairs, thinking about the whole dream and what it could mean. No sooner had he just started to calm down, there was the sound of someone else entering the common room.

  
  


"Harry?" the voice of Ginny Weasley called out quietly. Harry turned around and saw Ginny standing nearby in her nightdress, wrapped in an embroidered blanket. She stared at him wide-eyed.

  
  


"Couldn't sleep either?" she asked him.

  
  


Harry nodded. "Sort of."

  
  


"Do you mind if I stay here for awhile?"

  
  


"No, I don't mind."

  
  


Ginny sat down in an armchair opposite him. She looked a little distraught. "What's wrong?" Harry asked her.

  
  


"I just couldn't sleep, that's all," replied Ginny. "It's because of those dementors. Just knowing their here keeps you wide awake. Now, why are you up so late?"

  
  


Harry looked at her. He didn't know Ginny as well as Ron and Hermione... but he had to tell someone...

  
  


"It was this really weird dream I had," Harry began.

  
  


Ginny nodded and said, "Go on."

  
  


"Well, in it, I was at this dark kind of ocean covered in mist. I was kind of drawn to it, so I went in..." He trailed off, not knowing if he should tell Ginny the next part, but he went on. "In the water, I saw a dead body... It was Tom Riddle..."

  
  


The moment Harry said the name, "Tom Riddle", Ginny flinched. Harry couldn't blame her. In her first year at Hogwarts, Ginny had a traumatic experience involving Tom Riddle's enchanted diary. "What happened then?" Ginny asked a little shakily.

  
  


"I went to the surface, and these.... these shadow creatures appeared and started to pull me under. And then these bright lights started to appear. One of them told me to fight it, or else it would consume me. It said only I could get myself out. Then those shadow things started to pull me under..."

  
  


Ginny stared at him. "Sounds like a strange dream."

  
  


"I'm used to them," said Harry. Something else entered his mind... the dream that he had earlier this year... should he tell her?

  
  


"You know, I also kind of had another dream this year... only I don't think that it was really a dream," he said cautiously.

  
  


"I'm listening," said Ginny.

  
  


"Well, Vol- I'm sorry, You-Know-Who was telling his Death Eaters to go to the Ministry. He told them that Fudge's denial of You-Know-Who returning to power would work to his advantage and ruin the alliance that Dumbledore is planning." He decided to not mention Voldemort plotting to kill him because Ginny looked horrified beyond belief.

  
  


"Do you think that's why Fudge and the dementors are at the school, to make sure he doesn't set up his alliance because the spies for Voldemort told him?" she asked him.

  
  


"I don't know," said Harry. "That's what it seems."

  
  


"You know, if Fudge doesn't accept the truth and believe Dumbledore soon, You-Know-Who might do something awful, like he did when he was rising to power," said Ginny in a quiet tone. "My parents told me about it; most of the things he did were Muggle killings and the murders of people in the Ministry. But only the ones from the Ministry received attention. My dad was one of the few that was actually concerned about the Muggles."

  
  


There was silence for a brief period of time between them. Then Ginny spoke up, "Harry, can I ask you a question?"

  
  


"Sure," replied Harry.

  
  


"Why did You-Know-Who want to kill you in the first place?"

  
  


This was a question that Harry asked almost every day. He had learned at the end of his first year, from Dumbledore, that Voldemort had come to his home fifteen years ago with the intentions of killing Harry and his father. The only reason why Voldemort killed his mother was that she refused to let Voldemort kill Harry. But the reason why Voldemort wanted him dead, Dumbledore wouldn't say.

  
  


"I don't know," said Harry softly. "No one told me yet."

  
  


Ginny nodded. "I guess I should go back to bed, now." She stood up and started towards her dormitory when Harry called after her.

  
  


"Ginny?"

  
  


She turned around to face him. "Yeah?"

  
  


"Thanks for listening," said Harry.

  
  


Ginny went slightly scarlet, but she smiled back at Harry. "That's what friends are for. And we are friends, aren't we?"

  
  


"Yeah..."

  
  


"Well, goodnight then..." She left for her dormitory, but Harry stayed awake for a very long time.

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


Okay, I hope you all liked this chapter. The reason why I had Harry confide in Ginny in this chapter was because Ginny should be a bigger part of the series, so I hope you liked that. Up next: On a Hogsmeade trip, Harry and the gang meet some new characters that will play a big role in the upcoming chapters... Stay tuned!

  
  


P.S. Do you think I should use the surname "Baudelaire" for those characters, like the names of the orphans in "A Series of Unfortunate Events"? Please tell me in your reviews.

  
  
  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  



	10. Joshua, Lili, and Emily

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Harry Potter. However, I'm slowly going crazy from all this waiting for book 5. From what I've heard, it will either come out February or July 2002. Grr! Okay, enough with that, on with the fanfic. I hope you like the new characters in this chapter.

  
  


Chapter Ten- Joshua, Lili, and Emily

  
  


A few days later, Harry and the others were on the weekend Hogsmeade trip. Ginny hadn't told Ron and Hermione about the dreams Harry told her about, but on their way to Hogsmeade, she kept glancing at Harry nervously. 

  
  


They made their way inside The Three Broomsticks. It wasn't very crowded there on this particular day, but still pretty busy. They waved to Madam Rosmerta, the barmaid there with a pretty face. As Ron was about to order four butterbeers for the group, Hermione pointed to two people by Madam Rosmerta.

  
  


"Hey," she said to the others. "Who do you think are those two. I don't think we've ever seen them before, have we?"

  
  


The two people that Hermione pointed at was a boy and a girl who had to be in their late teens. The boy and girl both had the same brown eyes and auburn hair (except the girl's hair was long and arranged in ringlets); Harry supposed they were siblings. They both wore orange robes that were rather shabby.

  
  


"I wonder who they are?" asked Ron. "I guess they must work here."

  
  


The girl came over to their table with a notepad. "What will it be?" she asked them.

  
  


"Er- four butterbeers," said Ron. "Do you work here?"

  
  


"No, I'm just here for a visit," said the girl sarcastically. "Yeah, I work here."

  
  


"Sorry," said Ron. "It's just that none of us have ever seen you here before."

  
  


"Well, up til now, me, my brother--..." (she pointed to the other boy with auburn hair) "and my sister have been washing and drying glasses up til now. My brother and I just got promoted to help Rosmerta out."

  
  


She stared at their uniforms. "You're from Hogwarts, then?" she asked the group.

  
  


"Yeah," said Harry.

  
  


The girl sighed. "My brother and I used to go to Hogwarts. Then our parents died and we had to drop out because we couldn't afford to pay for all the stuff we needed. Shame, really. We were doing so well. The teachers said that I was Head Girl material! But I had to drop out in sixth year."

  
  


"So you're poor?" asked Ron curiously. 

  
  


"Not necessarily," replied the girl. "We got jobs to earn more; the money our parents left us is being saved so that my sister can go to Hogwarts when she's old enough. It's her dream to go."

  
  


"I can relate to that," commented Ginny.

  
  


The girl left and returned seconds later with their butterbeers. "So, what're your names, anyway?"

  
  


The four introduced themselves. To his surprise, when Harry told her his name, she didn't make a fuss like people usually did when they met him. It was quite a relief.

  
  


"I'm Lili Baudelaire," the girl said. She pulled back the sleeves of her robes, revealing a wristwatch. She checked it and called out to her brother, "Joshua, it's our break! Come here and meet these Hogwarts students! And bring Emily too!"

  
  


Her brother nodded, went into the back, and returned with a little girl about the age of seven. She had frizzy hair the same color that her brother and sister had. When she saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, her face broke into a very sweet little smile.

  
  


Lili introduced them all and they sat down. "So what House are you guys in?" asked Joshua.

  
  


"Gryffindor," the four said in unison.

  
  


"I was in Hufflepuff and Lili here was in Ravenclaw," said Joshua, looking as though he was remembering something very distant.

  
  


"What House do you want to be in when you get to Hogwarts, Emily?" Hermione asked her kindly.

  
  


"Gryffindor," Emily said shyly.

  
  


"You know, I can relate to you guys," Ron said slowly. "Being poor sucks."

  
  


"Hear, hear!" Joshua grinned.

  
  


"I mean, my parents had to get all my Hogwarts stuff second hand," Ron went on. "In my fourth year, I got these maroon dress robes with this lace on!"

  
  


Joshua's grin suddenly changed into a stern look. "You still have your parents?"

  
  


"Well, yeah...."

  
  


"Then, no offense, but it sounds like you're being pretty ungrateful."

  
  


Ron looked rather annoyed. "You don't get it. You don't know how embarrassing it is to have stuff that's rubbish."

  
  


"Oh yeah?" Lili asked, an eyebrow raised. "How about having no stuff at all? Once our parents died, the house we lived in had to be sold, along with most of our belongings, just so that we could have enough money to get stuff to eat. So I'd think about that before you start saying that you've got it bad..."

  
  


"I do!" Ron exclaimed, ears reddening. "Some of the students at Hogwarts keep making fun of me for being poor!"

  
  


"Well, the hell with them," replied Lili dryly. "They don't know what it's like. They've got it lucky... and since you still have your parents, so do you. Those students that make fun of you don't have to be arrogant about how lucky they've got it."

  
  


"Hey, Harry," said Joshua loudly, clearly changing to subject to stop the arguing between Lili and Ron. "who is the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year?"

  
  


"Her name is Professor Fiona Clark," explained Harry. "She's pretty nice... and she has this weird power over the dementors that are staying at our school... you know what's been going on during the past two years, do you?" He dropped his voice down to a whisper as he asked this.

  
  


Lili nodded. "We know all right. Dumbledore came here not too long after You-Know-Who came back to warn us all. All of us here had to keep it quiet from the Ministry because... you know, the Minister is denying the whole thing."

  
  


"How do can he do it?" Joshua asked furiously. "How can the Minister just deny that You-Know-Who didn't return? Doesn't he care what might be the consequences of doing that?"

  
  


"Apparently, he doesn't want anything to disrupt his career," Hermione said grimly.

  
  


Joshua pounded his fist on the table. "Why don't they just impeach the Minister of Magic? Then we could get someone who will know how to deal with this situation!"

  
  


"It isn't that simple, you know. Fudge is here with the dementors, and he's threatening to fire Dumbledore if he does any more 'interfering'," Ron whispered. "And without Dumbledore... well, who knows what You-Know-Who could do!"

  
  


"So, what exactly can this Fiona Clark person can do to the dementors?" asked Lili. 

  
  


"We're not sure," admitted Harry. "All we know is that every time a dementor comes near here, she pulls out something attached to a black cord around her neck, there's a flash of bright light, and the dementors leave."

  
  


"Sounds kind of dodgy to me," said Joshua. "I've never heard of anything like that before."

  
  


"We know," said Hermione. "Whatever Professor Clark has that scares the dementors, she's certainly not about to tell us."

  
  


And then there was silence between the group. After a while, Lili said suddenly, "Our break is almost over. We'd better get back to work. It was nice meeting you all."

  
  


"Yeah," said Joshua, standing up. "Maybe we'll see you next time there's a Hogsmeade trip for the Hogwarts students."

  
  


Emily stood up with her sister and shyly waved goodbye to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. The four Hogwarts students waved goodbye back, finished their drinks, and left The Three Broomsticks.

  
  


"They were very nice," said Hermione, on the way back to Hogwarts. "I do feel rather sorry for them. Imagine having no parents and being poor at the same time!"

  
  


"I liked them too," agreed Ron. "But Joshua had some nerve to say that I was being ungrateful. That's not true... is it?"

  
  


Suddenly, Harry, Ron, and Ginny were kind of uneasy.

  
  


"You do complain about being poor a lot," confessed Hermione.

  
  


Ron's ears reddened again. "You don't know what it's like for me..."

  
  


"No, Ron, I don't," said Hermione sharply. "But I think you should at least be lucky that you still have parents. Lili, Joshua, and Emily don't! So think about that the next time your parents have to get one of your school things second hand!"

  
  


"Besides, it isn't Mum and Dad's fault," piped up Ginny. "You know perfectly well that the Minister holds Dad back in his position because of his fondness for Muggles! And Lili's right! You shouldn't pay any attention to Malfoy and those goons."

  
  


Hermione and Harry were both shocked and impressed at the same time. Ginny never referred to Malfoy or any other of the Slytherins as "goons" before.

  
  


All the same, Hermione and Ron didn't talk to each other again until they got back to Hogwarts. 

  
  


***

"I still say I hate being poor," Ron grumbled to Harry that night in the boys dormitory. "Maybe Ginny doesn't mind getting stuff second handed, but I..."

  
  


"Well I hate being an orphan and living with the most foul Muggles I've ever met, but you don't see me whining about it," Harry snapped wearily. 

  
  


Ron stared at him. "Oh great, now you're siding with the girls?"

  
  


About a year ago, Harry would have kept his mouth shut when it came to fights between Ron and Hermione, considering the fight he and Ron had in fourth year. But this time, he stated, "Yes, I am."

  
  


Harry would have thought that Ron would work up a suitably savage reply to that; surprisingly, he didn't. Harry went on:

  
  


"Do you have any idea how lucky you are? Living with people who actually like you? Having a whole group of siblings who you can talk to, in case your friends are unavailable?"

  
  


"And who get to tease you whenever you want," Ron mumbled under his breath. Harry heard him.

  
  


"I would rather have ten brothers like yours then having Dudley "I get to do whatever I want, whenever I want, including kicking your behind all the time" Dursley for a cousin," Harry said as calmly as he could. "And if you say, 'You don't know what it's like for me', remember that I had to get made fun of from my taped up glasses down to my baggy old clothes, and that up until six years ago, I didn't have enough money to buy a single Mars Bar. So yes, Ron, I *do* know what it's like for you!"

  
  


Ron asked, "What's a Mars Bar?" but Harry didn't hear him. All that he was aware of was that he was marching off to his bed, pulling the drawings around him, and lying there fuming for at least an hour before he got to sleep.

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


Okay, I hope you readers enjoyed this part. First of all, I'm going on vacation for a couple of days next week, so the next part of the story probably won't be up until the 26th, at least. I apologize for this, and I will be working hard on the next part. To give a brief summary of what's going to happen in the next few parts, Voldemort carries out his plan to get Harry, and at the same time, proves to be a vile villain. More people will suffer the consequences of Fudge's failure to accept that Voldemort has risen again (yeah, yeah, more people are going to die, that part will be very dramatic. Rest assured, it will not be Ron, Ginny, or Hermione, that much I can say). But Voldemort isn't the only thing that's putting Harry in danger... Can Fiona save him? Well, you're going to have to stay tuned! Once again, I apologize for the upcoming delay.

  
  


P.S. About the part where Harry seems a bit touchy towards Ron, if Ron can be touchy about being poor, then Harry can be a bit touchy about being an orphan, can't he? Besides, we all know that if the Dursleys were Harry's Secret Keepers (and thank God they're not), they'd turn him over to Voldie so fast... you get the picture.


	11. Capture

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. 

  
  


Author's Note: I'm back! I went on vacation for a few days, and now this story is picking up right where it left off. To make it up to all of you, this chapter will be a pretty long one. I hope you all like this part, and I hope you will still keep on reading this story. On with the story! Note: If you don't like cliffhangers, I apologize for this chapter's ending.

  
  


Chapter Eleven- Capture

  
  


A few days later, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were in the library talking to one another. They were talking about Harry, and they had made sure he wasn't there before beginning to talk.

  
  


"Harry's changing," said Hermione quietly. "It's like he's drifting away from all of us."

  
  


"Every time either of us says the wrong thing to Harry concerning his childhood, he goes berserk," Ron commented. "Why is he doing this?"

  
  


Ginny remained silent. She looked very uncomfortable all of a sudden. Fortunately, Ron and Hermione didn't notice.

  
  


"Well, I guess Harry doesn't like to talk about his past," Hermione said. "What did the Dursleys do to him, those ten years of his life?"

  
  


"The Dursleys aren't really what's bothering him," Ginny blurted out.

  
  


Ron and Hermione stared. "What do you mean?" Ron demanded. "Ginny, it's all right. You can tell us."

  
  


"I can't," Ginny mumbled, getting up. "I promised I wouldn't tell."

  
  


"What?" asked Hermione. "Did Harry tell you something?"

  
  


"I'm not going to tell!"

  
  


"Is there something wrong?" a soft voice asked. The three turned around and saw Professor Clark standing behind them. A book was in her hands. She stared at them intently, but her face bore no expression of suspicion.

  
  


"There's nothing wrong, Professor," Ron muttered.

  
  


Professor Clark didn't seem to buy Ron's response for a second. "I couldn't help hearing a commotion," she continued. "If it's all right, I'd like to know what's going on. Does it have anything to do with Harry?"

  
  


"He's changing," Ron said simply.

  
  


Professor Clark raised an eyebrow. "Everybody changes. It's a part of life."

  
  


"No, that's not it," explained Hermione. "It's just that every time any of us seem to bring up the discussion involving his childhood, he gets mad. He may be pushing us away..."

  
  


"And Ginny seems to know something about it, but she won't tell us!" interrupted Ron, turning to Ginny.

  
  


"I promised Harry I wouldn't tell," Ginny repeated.

  
  


"Is it something that could endanger him?" Professor Clark asked gently.

  
  


"No," said Ginny quickly. "At least I don't think so..."

  
  


"Look, we won't tell Harry as long as you tell us," Hermione said. "I thought we were *all* friends here."

  
  


Ginny looked from Ron and Hermione to Professor Clark, all who were staring at her. "Oh, all right," Ginny said slowly. "But remember, don't tell Harry I told you this..."

  
  


She sat back down, took a deep breath, and began to explain. "A few nights ago, I couldn't sleep because I knew that the dementors were lurking in the corridors, so I went to the common room and found Harry sitting there."

  
  


She paused, looking at all of them. "Go on," urged Ron.

  
  


Ginny continued, "I asked him why he was up so late, and he said that he had a weird dream. I don't remember all of it, but it had something to do with him being in some kind of black ocean.... and he said that when he went under water..." Ginny gulped. "He saw the body of... Tom Riddle."

  
  


There was a loud thud. Professor Clark had dropped her book on the floor, a look of complete shock on her face. Ron and Hermione looked stunned.

  
  


"You mean... You-Know-Who when he went to Hogwarts?" Ron asked shakily.

  
  


Ginny nodded. "Uh-huh. Then he mentioned something about black shadow creatures... and bright star-like lights... and that's all I remember. And that's not all... Harry also said he had a dream this summer... he said that You-Know-Who was talking to his supporters... saying that his spies were taking their positions at the Ministry... Harry thinks that Fudge and the dementors coming to Hogwarts might have happened because You-Know-Who's spies at the Ministry told him what Dumbledore was doing..."

  
  


"That's what Professor Dumbledore thinks happened too," said Professor Clark, the shock expression never leaving her face.

  
  


"Why didn't Harry tell us this before?" Hermione asked.

  
  


"He didn't want to worry you," Ginny said in a small voice. "You won't tell him I told you, will you?" she added anxiously. And dully, Ron and Hermione both said no.

  
  


"Of course not," said Professor Clark, trembling slightly. From the look on her face, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny could tell that Professor Clark seemed to know a lot more about the situation than they did. She walked away, abandoning her book.

  
  


***

Fiona paced around in her office. This was serious. It wasn't just paranoia that was convincing her that Harry could possibly end up like Tom; the evidence was right in front of her. 

  
  


A black ocean... it was worse than she thought. Fiona knew perfectly well that a black ocean was a form of a person's dark side. It was a pool made up of their deepest fears, dark thoughts, and troubled experiences. If the person's soul succumbed to the black ocean, it would forever be lost in the darkness...

  
  


Tom's body... Harry saw Tom's body in the black ocean? How? As far as she knew, Tom never saw any black oceans in his dreams... But then again, when he passed the age of thirteen, Tom never visited you anymore, remember? Fiona thought bitterly to herself. Anything could have happened to him during that period of time...

  
  


Fiona grabbed her head and started shaking. No, no, no, no! she screamed silently. This can't be happening to Harry, it couldn't! Not again! Harry was different from Tom... and yet, so alike.

  
  


Well, she wasn't going to let Harry get Tom's fate. No sir... she'd keep her on Harry... he was too vulnerable already...

  
  


Yet her gut instinct told her that it would be something beyond her control.

  
  


***

For the next two months, Ron and Hermione avoided the slightest remark that could possibly make Harry bring up his bitter childhood. Harry still didn't confront Professor Clark about the fact that she could possibly know him from that day, nine years ago... Harry decided that it was probably something not to worry about right now.

  
  


Most of their time was spent preparing for exams. During their free time, on Hogsmeade visits, they often went to The Three Broomsticks to visit Joshua, Lili, and Emily Baudelaire. They became their friends very fast. Harry could definitely relate to them somehow; their family was dead, and all they had was each other. Whenever they came, Emily would always ask them to tell her about Hogwarts. The more she did this, the more Harry hoped that her brother and sister could pull enough money together to send Emily to Hogwarts when she was old enough....

  
  


In later June, the week that exams were finished, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were on a well earned weekend to Hogsmeade. They were having so much fun, the thought that something horrible would happen wasn't even in their minds. It's very strange: when horrible things happen to you, they often come when you least expect them to. Harry and the others found this out the hard way.

  
  


It was about late afternoon on that trip, they would have to go back to school in a little while, so they were trying to think of something to do that wouldn't take too much time. 

  
  


"We could go visit the Baudelaires," suggested Ron.

  
  


"Don't be silly," said Hermione briskly, pointing to The Three Broomsticks. A large line was outside the building. "It looks extremely busy; we don't want to bother them when they're working!"

  
  


"All right then, how about Honeydukes?"

  
  


"Again?"

  
  


Feeling a sudden emptiness in one of his pockets, Harry searched the folds of his robes. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "My wand's gone!"

  
  


"Really?" asked Hermione. "Well, lets retrace your steps: where was the last place we went to?"

  
  


Harry slapped his forehead. "Oh, I must have dropped it at Honeydukes." He raced off, calling after them, "I'll be right back!"

  
  


"I'll go with him," said Ginny to Ron and Hermione. "You know- just to make sure he finds his wand..." She raced off after Harry, who had already vanished in the crowd.

  
  


For a few minutes, Ron and Hermione stood there, waiting patiently for Harry and Ginny to come back. They were both perfectly calm; they occasionally talked to another about how they might have done on the exams (Hermione was sure she passed, of course, being a top student and a prefect). Suddenly, they heard someone began to scream; a terrified, scream of a person in agony.

  
  


Ron looked at Hermione. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

  
  


Hermione nodded. "I think we should go check that out."

  
  


They raced off, following the sounds of the screams, feeling curiosity and a sense of dread growing in their stomachs. The screaming seemed to come from a dark alley. They crept closer to the screaming, only to hear it stop, followed by gasps and loud moans. Just then, a harsh voice of a man cried out, "Cruccio!" And the screams began again, sounding louder and more terrified.

  
  


"GINNY!" Ron screamed, recognizing the screaming voice. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, Hermione running after him. They stopped in a corner of the alley.

  
  


Ginny was lying, twitching on the ground in absolute pain. And nearby her, their wands raised, were a group of wizards in cloaks, hoods over their heads, and masks concealing their faces...

  
  


"Death Eaters...." Ron whispered in horror. Hermione didn't say a word, she just stared at the Death Eaters in a numb kind of terror.

  
  


At the same time, Ron and Hermione both drew their wands, but two of the Death Eaters pointed their wands at their wands and yelled, "Expelliarmus!"

  
  


Their wands flew out of their hands. Ron tried to pick his up as quickly he could, but another of the Death Eaters pointed his wand at Ron and said, "Stupefy!"

  
  


A jet of red light shot towards Ron and hit him, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

  
  


Hermione tried to help Ginny up to her feet, but two Death Eaters seized her and dragged her away from Ginny. "Let's have a little fun," one of them said to the others.

  
  


Hermione's last thought before one of the Death Eaters yelled, "Cruccio!" was that their idea of "fun" couldn't possibly be the least bit fun for her.

  
  


***

Harry raced into Honeydukes, and sure enough, near the door, was his wand. He must have dropped it on the way out. As he picked it up and pocketed it, he could hear a familiar voice screaming in the distance.

  
  


"Hermione?" he muttered in surprise. 

  
  


Fearing the worst, Harry ran out of Honeydukes, following the sounds of Hermione's screaming. It led him to a dark alley where a grisly sight greeted him.

  
  


There were a large group of Death Eaters there. One was preforming the Cruciatus Curse on Hermione, who was rolling on the ground, twitching, screaming in total agony. They must have also done the curse on Ginny, for she was also twitching on the ground. Moans and sobs escaped her. Ron was also on the ground, unconscious, his wand nearby him.

  
  


One of the Death Eaters lifted the curse from Hermione and yelled to her, "How do you like being in the wizarding world now, Mudblood?" He raised his wand to do the curse again, but Harry pulled out his wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" 

  
  


It worked. The wand flew out of his hand. However, that wasn't going to stop the Death Eaters. Harry knew he was easily outnumbered, but all that mattered to him was getting his friends to safety. Quick as he could, he pulled Ginny up, reached for Hermione, who had fainted from the pain, no doubt.... and then a Death Eater stepped out in front of them.

  
  


He pointed to one of his companions, whose wand was pointed directly at Ron's heart. "Try to escape, and we'll kill your friend," threatened the Death Eater in front of Harry. "Surrender to us, or they'll all die."

  
  


Thinking fast, Harry weighed all chances of escape with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. He was completely surrounded, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were all in danger... surrendering to the Death Eaters would mean another encounter with Voldemort... It was either giving himself to the Death Eaters, or his friends lives...

  
  


It was no contest. Harry pocketed his wand.

  
  


"Harry..." Ginny managed to whisper hoarsely. She was still weak from the Cruciatus Curse. "Harry... don't..."

  
  


"If I'm all you want," Harry said without hesitation. "then take me. Just don't hurt my friends."

  
  


The Death Eater nodded to the other with his wand pointed at Ron's heart. He lowed his wand.

  
  


"All right, Potter," said the Death Eater. "They'll live... for now. But you're coming with us."

  
  


He raised his wand and shouted, "Stupefy!". A jet of red light sped towards him and Harry knew no more.

  
  


***

Ginny could make out the blurred outline of Harry falling to the ground. The Death Eaters strode towards him, and ropes sprang out of their wands, binding him. 

  
  


"Do you have the Portkey?" the Death Eater who tortured Hermione asked one of the others. Ginny realized with a jolt that it was Lucius Malfoy.

  
  


Another Death Eater nodded, pulling out a chain what looked like a Muggle pocket watch from his robes.

  
  


"Stupid boy," sneered Lucius Malfoy. "Master was right... he's do anything to save his friends... Now lets go... quick! Before the teachers come!"

  
  


Two of the Death Eaters dragged Harry towards their companions... they all touched the pocket watch and vanished, taking Harry with them... 

  
  


Ginny couldn't think anymore... the pain was unbearable... Darkness enveloped her...

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


Oooh! Cliffhanger! Once again, I apologize for the cliffhanger at the end... trust me, there's more where that came from... All right, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and up next... well, I can't really tell you anything about the next part without giving anything away... so stay tuned!

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  



	12. The Fate of A Child

Disclaimer: The magnificent Harry Potter is not my creation. *Sigh*, maybe I'll get to write a story as good as Harry Potter when I become an author... NOT! Oh well, a girl can dream, can't she?

  
  


Warning: People die in this chapter. Please don't flame me when you find out who dies; it's part of the story.

  
  


Chapter Twelve- The Fate of A Child

  
  


Fiona was one of the teachers supervising the Hogsmeade trip. She liked Hogsmeade; it was charming little wizarding village to her. At this moment, she was walking through the streets with Professor McGonagall.

  
  


"Dumbledore is starting to argue with Fudge about the dementors again," Professor McGongall was telling Fiona as they walked past Honeydukes. "Fudge keeps on threatening to fire him if he interferes with his 'business'. Dumbledore isn't the one interfering, Fudge is! If we don't convince Fudge to stop with denial, we might not be able to stop the Dark Lord this time!"

  
  


"Uh-huh," mumbled Fiona. It was very humid outside. Her hair was slowly coming out of its loose bun, the strands hanging out. Professor McGonagall, whose tight bun didn't even have a strand of black hair out, didn't seem to notice...

  
  


Suddenly, Fiona stopped. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at a dark alley nearby them. From where she was standing, it looked like...

"It looks like a body!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall. She and Fiona rushed into the alley where they found Hermione Granger and Ron and Ginny Weasley lying there unconscious.

  
  


"What happened to them?" asked Fiona in horror.

  
  


Professor McGonagall made no response. She simply pulled out her wand, went over to Ron, pointed it at his chest and said, "Ennervate." Ron sat up blinking. Professor McGonagall then went over to Hermione and Ginny and did the same.

  
  


"What happened?" Fiona asked the three urgently, as soon as they were all awake. 

  
  


"Death Eaters were here," muttered Ron.

  
  


"Death Eaters?" asked Professor McGongall spluttered. "But- how...?"

  
  


Hermione looked around. "Where's Harry? He was here.... W-What happened to him?" she asked suddenly.

  
  


"Harry?" asked Fiona, immediately fearing the worst. "He was here?"

  
  


"Yeah," explained Hermione. "The Death Eaters started doing the Cruciatus Curse on me... and Harry must have heard me screaming because he came..." Hermione trailed off, unable to remember what happened next.

  
  


"They took him," Ginny said in a meek little whisper. "T-They said that if Harry didn't s-surrender to them... they'd kill us. A-And Harry gave himself up to save us!"

  
  


Ron and Hermione looked horrified. Professor McGonagall was visibly shocked. Fiona felt as though someone had reached in and ripped out her soul. Harry was with Tom- no, no, no, Voldemort! she told herself firmly. Tom is gone and Voldemort is what he has become. If anything, anything at all happened to Harry.... if Voldemort killed him...

  
  


Professor McGonagall turned to Fiona. "Take them to the hospital wing, and get Dumbledore and as many teachers as you can. Tell them what happened. I'll round up the students and the other supervising teachers. I'll take the students back to the castle where they'll be safe, and then I'll meet you and the other teachers outside the castle. Go!"

  
  


Fiona nodded shakily and led the three students away. As they left the village, they could hear Professor McGonagall's voice, magically amplified, shouted, "ALL STUDENTS AND SUPERVISING TEACHERS LINE UP TO GO BACK TO THE CASTLE RIGHT AWAY!"

  
  


"Why did Harry do that?" wondered Ron aloud. "Why did Harry surrender to the Death Eaters when he knew perfectly well that going up against You-Know-Who again would be suicide?"

  
  


"There's a chance Harry might survive!" said Hermione angrily. "He's gone against him before, and he's survived! What will make this time so different, huh?"

  
  


"Stop it!" shouted Ginny. "This isn't helping!" Amazed at her boldness, Ron and Hermione fell silent. Then Ginny turned to Fiona. "What do you think, Professor Clark?"

  
  


"I think," said Fiona slowly. "that you'll just have to have faith that things will be okay. That's what we do in a bad situation where I come from."

  
  


After a brief moment of silence, Ron asked (in a croaky sort of voice), "And why do you think Harry did that for us?"

  
  


Fiona looked at him intently and said, "I guess that's just how much he cares about all of you."

  
  


***

A few miles away from Hogsmeade, where the Death Eaters and Voldemort had camped temporally, Wormtail approached Voldemort.

  
  


"Well?" Voldemort snapped impatiently.

  
  


"It-It's done, My Lord," Wormtail stammered. "Harry Potter has been captured and brought here."

  
  


Voldemort nodded. "Before you go, I have another command for the others... tell them to send a little reminder to Dumbledore and those other fools about who they are dealing with..." He smiled his terrible smile. "Destroy Hogsmeade."

  
  


***

Dusk.

  
  


After what had to be several hours, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, Snape, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Fiona had gathered outside Hogswarts, trying to come up with a plan. Neither Dumbledore or any of the others had notified Fudge for obvious reasons; one being the dementors. The students had been told to stay inside the castle, with the other teachers as supervisors. At least they were safe...

  
  


None of them knew where the Death Eaters could be hiding. It seemed desperate to Fiona. What Voldemort could be doing now, where Harry was, even if he was alive or not couldn't even be determined right now. 

  
  


I should have been there, Fiona thought, tears beginning to well in her eyes. I said I'd keep watch on him, to make sure nothing happened to him.... and look what's happened now! How could I have let this happen?!

  
  


Fiona could only hear the teachers talking vaguely, as though she were a million miles away as she was thinking about this. She just stared out into the distance, into the dark forest as though fascinated by it. If Fiona hadn't been scared out of her wits that Harry was going to die, she would have enjoyed the sunset.

  
  


Professor Sprout noticed this and asked, "What are you staring at?" Fiona was practically too gone to respond. Professor Sprout stared in the same direction, probably to see what she seemed so fascinated by... and Fiona saw her face show a sudden expression of horror.

  
  


"What?" Fiona asked absentmindedly. "What is it?!"

  
  


And then she saw... Where she could always see the outlines of Hogsmeade.... there was fire, black smoke hovering over the place. Straining her hearing, she could make out the distant sounds of screams.

  
  


"Oh... my..." Fiona could only say.

  
  


"FIRE!" screeched Professor Sprout, waved her arms around. "FIRE AT HOGSMEADE!"

  
  


Dumbledore and the other teachers whirled around just in time to see the emerald sign of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth fired into the blood-red sky. At once, everyone knew who was responsible for this.

  
  


"Draw your wands!" yelled Dumbledore, pulling out his own wand. "We must get to the town and save as many of the people as we can!"

  
  


He ran off in the direction of Hogsmeade, Fiona and the others teachers following after him.

***

Harry knelt on the ground, ropes binding him so tightly that he couldn't move an inch. How long he had been in this place, he didn't know. All that he knew was that Voldemort would soon be coming. He had been Stunned until a few hours ago, when the Death Eaters had Awoken him and told him to wait there, saying that their "Master" would come for him shortly...

  
  


He was self-conscious, of course, but he knew he had done the right thing, allowing himself to be captured by the Death Eaters. What was his existence worth compared to the lives of his friends, anyway? Suppose he had escaped from that situation.... What kind of life would Harry live if there was no Ron to tell him, "Don't let the Muggles get you down!"? How would Harry live without Hermione always nagging him about breaking the rules or being worried about how she did on the exams? And even if Ron and Hermione had survived, how would any of them (especially Ron) bear it if Ginny was killed?

  
  


In his childhood in the Muggle world, Harry had never had any friends. It was lonely at first, but he after he turned ten, he figured that maybe friendship wasn't necessary to have; if he had friends like Dudley's, then who would need enemies? But now, almost six years later, when he had such good friends, he thought differently. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Hagrid, Sirius, and all his other friends were almost like a family to him. If he was ever to lose any of them, then life for him would have lost all meaning. Too many people had lost their lives to save him already...

  
  


And lo and behold, there he was... Voldemort was approaching him slowly. This is it, Harry thought to himself. Hagrid said what's coming is coming... He took a deep breath, and prepared himself for whatever what was going to happen...

  
  


But nothing, nothing could have prepared Harry for what was coming next.

  
  


Three Death Eaters approached Voldemort and Harry, each of them holding three people who were tied up... a boy, a girl whose hair was arranged in ringlets, and a little girl with frizzy hair....

  
  


It was Joshua, Lili, and Emily Baudelaire.

  
  


Harry stared at them in complete shock and horror, and they looked at him back. They were all covered in ashes, though Harry didn't know why. Joshua and Lili were scared, though they didn't dare show it. Poor Emily, however, was shaking in pure terror. Harry couldn't blame her; after all, she was only seven years old.

  
  


"What is this?" Voldemort demanded of the Death Eaters.

  
  


"My Lord, these three were caught just outside our encampment," the Death Eater holding Emily explained. "We can determine that they were trying to escape Hogsmeade while we all were destroying it."

  
  


Harry's feeling of shock increased. Hogsmeade? They were destroying Hogsmeade? 

  
  


Turning his head a little, Harry could see that in the distance, there was smoke billowing above the trees. Harry glanced at Lili Baudelaire, who shot him a helpless look.

  
  


Unfortunately, Voldemort had seen this. He looked from the Baudeliares to Harry, and Harry knew, judging from that look in those pitiless red eyes that Voldemort could tell that Harry knew the Baudelaires. 

  
  


"Should we dispose of them, My Lord?" asked the Death Eater holding Joshua. 

  
  


"No," replied Voldemort slowly. "No... leave them here." He smiled his cruel smile. "I shall deal with them."

  
  


The Death Eaters obeyed; they forced the three down to the same kneeling position as Harry and left. So now, Harry was between Lili and Emily, while Joshua was on Emily's other side. Harry really wanted to ask what was going on at Hogsmeade and what had happened to them there, but kept silent. He didn't want to put them in more danger than they were already in. 

  
  


He could only guess what was going to happen next. Voldemort, with the new knowledge that he had people Harry knew as prisoners, he would use them to get a rise out of him. Or maybe, since he saw Emily's fear, he would sadistically torture her, or kill her siblings... the possibilities of Voldemort's next moves seemed endless.

  
  


Voldemort paced around the four prisoners, never taking his eyes off of any of them. Emily shivered and whimpered. Joshua looked as though he wanted to put his arm around his sister, to comfort her, but he couldn't; his bonds were as tight as the others.

  
  


"You fear me, girl?" Voldemort asked Emily in a quiet, taunting voice. He seemed to be amused by Emily's terror. Lili shot her a glance that clearly said, Don't say anything. Emily seemed to get the message because she didn't speak a word.

  
  


"Do you?" Voldemort leered. When he didn't get a response, he rounded on Harry.

  
  


"You have brave friends," he commented to Harry. Harry kept his jaw clenched. "Nothing to say, Potter?" Harry just looked at him.

  
  


"So," Voldemort said, starting to pace again. "neither of you are keen on talking right now. Well, that's fine with me. I'd like to get straight down to *business*." He stopped, turned to face them, and brandished his wand. 

  
  


"Who would like to go first?" he asked, his cruel smile spreading on his snake-like face. "Would you, my dear?" he advanced on Emily. The seven year old tried to look brave while facing this Dark wizard.

  
  


"You don't go near her," Joshua snapped boldly. 

  
  


Voldemort stared at him for a moment or two. Then, he raised his wand and shouted, "Cruccio!"

  
  


A split second after he said this, Joshua fell forward and started yelling, writhing in pain. Lili could no longer hide her fear as she saw her brother being tortured; she started to hyperventilate. Harry felt as though he was going to be sick; why did the three have to suffer like this? They never did anything to Voldemort...

  
  


It suddenly dawned on him that anything that was in Voldemort's way to killing Harry had to go. Once again, he asked himself why on Earth did Voldemort want to kill him in the first place... 

  
  


After a few moments of this, Voldemort, seeming to be satisfied with how the curse was affecting him, lifted the curse on Joshua, who lay bound on the ground, gasping for air. "Your cheek will cost you, boy," Voldemort hissed to him. 

  
  


Joshua managed to prop himself a little by his elbows, shaking madly. "YOU MONSTER!" screamed a girl's voice. Lili.

  
  


"Lili," Joshua said, in a raspy kind of voice. "Don't say anything...."

  
  


Too late. Voldemort raised his wand again... and now Lili was the one in pain, screaming hysterically, rolling on the ground. 

  
  


Please, Harry prayed silently, trying to get some of his ropes off. Please help me.... help them. They don't deserve this... it's my fault...

And as though someone Up There had heard him, he felt some of his ropes loosen a bit. With this new development, he struggled against the ropes, trying to free himself so he could help the others...

  
  


Finally, Joshua couldn't take it anymore. Using all of his strength, he raised his feet and kicked Voldemort right in his back. Voldemort jerked his head in Joshua's direction, a look of pure fury in his terrible face, raised his wand and bellowed, "Avada Kedevra!"

  
  


"NO!" screamed Lili as Joshua fell down, dead. Emily was sobbing so hard that her shoulders shook. Voldemort, showing no expression at all, raised his wand again at Lili and shouted, "Cruccio!", and once again Lili started screaming in agony.

  
  


Harry couldn't stay silent any longer. "That's enough!" he yelled at Voldemort. "Leave them alone!"

  
  


Voldemort, triumphant that the torture of the Baudelaires (counting the murder of one of them) had gotten to Harry, he said to him calmly, "Enough, you say? Funny, my arm isn't even tired yet..." He pointed his wand at Lili and yelled, "Avada Kedevra!" 

  
  


Lili fell.

  
  


In his horror, Harry finally loosened his ropes. Before Voldemort could round on Emily, Harry freed himself from his bonds, leapt to his feet, picked up Emily, and ran as fast as he could. His only thought was to get Emily to safety. Nothing else mattered but that.

  
  


To their surprise, Voldemort didn't follow. "Go ahead," he said calmly. "Run away. If Death Eaters don't kill you before you get back to Hogwarts, then some *old friends* of mine will..."

  
  


But Harry and Emily never heard this. Looking back helplessly at the dead bodies of Lili and Joshua, they ran off into the distance, not knowing what horrors would lay ahead of them...

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


Okay, once again, I apologize for the cliffhanger, but if J. K. Rowling can pull that huge cliffhanger of book 4, then so can I! I hope you all liked this chapter. Up next: Harry hurries through the burning ruins of Hogsmeade to get Emily to Hogwarts... but Emily isn't the only one who is in danger... be prepared, the next chapter has BIG STUFF in it! Stay tuned!

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  



	13. The Destruction of Hogsmeade

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, I do not own thee. Okay, a little warning before we move on with the fic: This has a HUGE cliffhanger in this chapter. I sort of got inspired for this particular plot twist by watching a certain episode of a certain show with Sarah Michelle Gellar. Need I say more? (You'll see which episode I mean when you get to the end of the chapter.) Plus, you also find out what exactly is the thing Fiona was wearing to ward off dementors. Forgive me if it sounds corny.

  
  


Chapter Thirteen- The Destruction of Hogsmeade

  
  


It was now late at night, almost midnight. The sky was pitch black, only lit up by the many stars in the sky, and the fire that was completely destroying Hogsmeade.

  
  


Fiona and the other teachers were desperately trying to gather as many people as they could, but it wasn't easy. The fire wasn't the only danger in the burning town; Death Eaters were there also, killing as many people as they could find. Dead bodies littered the ground everywhere in sight.

  
  


At this moment, Fiona and Snape were rescuing a family of three from a burning house. In her arms, she held a very small child; Snape was helping the mother and father to safety. 

  
  


Fiona had never been so horrified in her entire existence. Never had she seen this much death, suffering, and despair. At least the dead were at peace, she could see many of their angels leading them away to Paradise. And yet, in the midst of all this fear, she couldn't help wondering where Harry was and whether he was safe or not.... 

  
  


Tom, she thought despairingly. Tom, why did you do this? Just because you suffered in your childhood days, didn't give you the right to cause all these other people suffering... What would your mother think if she saw you now?

  
  


She immediately banished the thought, because the thought of poor Belle turning in her grave at the sight of what had become of her son made her feel worse. There was nothing she could do for Tom now, just as she couldn't do anything for Harry, he was nowhere to be found. 

  
  


She just prayed that he was safe, and that he'd escape Tom's- Voldemort's clutches.

  
  


***

Back at Hogwarts, the dementors stirred around. They could sense death nearby... They grew excited; death was always a great thing to the dementors....

  
  


It was coming from the distance. They followed the sense of despair away from Hogwarts, and to the town of Hogsmeade... Whatever death was going on down there, they wanted to see it.

  
  


***

Far from the Death Eaters encampment, Harry and Emily were hiding within the trees, just in case Voldemort sent his Death Eaters after them. Or worse, the dementors, if they were even there.

  
  


Harry had untied Emily's bonds, and now the little girl was bent over, her hands covering her face, crying hysterically. Harry tried to silence her and look comforting at the same, but he knew that no words could take her mind off of the fact that Voldemort had just murdered the only family she had left. 

  
  


"I-I can't believe that this happened!" she sobbed as Harry put his arm around her. "W-Why did they have to d-die? First Mum and Dad died, and now Joshua and Lili are g-gone... w-what's going to happen now?"

  
  


"I... I don't know," said Harry slowly. He almost asked her if she had any other relatives, but that was stupid; if the Baudelaires had any other relatives they could stay with, then why did they have to take care of each other for all those years? "I'll take you back to Hogwarts, I'm sure they'll let you stay once they know what happened... Now come on, let's go. I don't know if the Death Eaters are around here..."

  
  


Emily slowly got up. "What about the Death Eaters at Hogsmeade? The town is burning; w-we saw it before they got us..."

  
  


"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you," Harry vowed, taking Emily's hand. "I promise. Stay close..."

  
  


Emily nodded sadly. The two orphans silently walked the path to Hogsmeade. Emily was still weeping softly, her bright brown eyes dark with sadness. Harry clutched her hand tightly. He had to protect her, she had no one else now. The memories of what had just happened were still fresh in his mind, they kept playing in his head all over again: the Death Eaters torturing Ron, Hermione, and Ginny; his capture; Voldemort torturing the Baudelaires and finally killing two of them; their escape...

  
  


At one point, Harry vaguely wondered what was going to Emily once they got to Hogwarts. Would Dumbledore put her in some kind of orphanage for young witches and wizards? Or possibly a Muggle orphanage? Harry cringed at that thought. He had never been to a Muggle orphanage before, but from what he had heard, they were horrible. However, Harry was sure it would have made a better home than Privet Drive.

  
  


Harry's thoughts were interrupted when he and Emily got to Hogsmeade... and saw the grisly scene that awaited them...

  
  


The entire village was aflame, making the night even warmer than it should have been. People were running everywhere, screaming bloody murder. The Death Eaters were indeed there, murdering every person they could see. Dead bodies were scattered almost everywhere. The sight of it all made Harry sick to his stomach.

  
  


So, he thought. This is what it was like when Voldemort was at his full power. This is what it used to be... "Come on," Harry said to Emily, who looked as bad as Harry felt. "We have to get out of here."

  
  


They started to run into the village as fast as their legs could carry them, but as they passed what looked to be the ruins of The Three Broomsticks, Emily let out a scream that mingled with the other cries into the night. Harry turned and saw Emily staring in shock at the dead body of Madam Rosmerta.

  
  


"They must have killed her after we left," Emily whispered hoarsely. "When the Death Eaters came, she told us to get out and make a run for it; she said she'd hold them off."

  
  


Harry nodded numbly, thinking of how his father had attempted the same for him and his mother, that fateful night fifteen years ago... "Let's go," he said quietly, tugging at her hand. "We can't do anything for her now..."

  
  


Even though Harry said these words, he only half believed them. He felt horribly guilty for all the suffering the people of Hogsmeade were experiencing, Emily most of all... if there was something he could do to change it... anything at all...

  
  


The two continued to run through the burning village, dodging curses of nearby Death Eaters they passed. As they were coming to a turn of the ruins of an alley, Harry thought he saw the familiar outlines Dumbledore and other Hogwarts teachers far away...

  
  


"I think that's some of the Hogwarts teachers!" he yelled to Emily. "We're almost there, Emily! Hang on!"

  
  


Suddenly, Harry felt a familiar coldness in his insides. The screaming of the people and the sounds of the Death Eaters shouting spells seemed to fade to silence. He and Emily slowly turned around...

  
  


A huge group of the dementors at Hogwarts were behind them. They must have sensed the horrible things at the burning village... Sirius told Harry once that death always got the dementors excited... 

  
  


"Emily," Harry whispered. "Emily, go. Go the teachers. They'll take you to Hogwarts."

  
  


"What about you?" Emily asked in a rather high voice.

  
  


"I'll handle them. Just go." Harry drew out his wand. The screams of his dying mother were in his head again.

  
  


Emily didn't move.

  
  


"GO!" shouted Harry. Finally giving in, Emily ran off. Concentrating on the most happiest thought he could think of, Harry began to chant, "Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum!" 

  
  


A silvery substance started to come out of Harry's wand... but it wasn't strong enough... Voices were sounding in his head...

  
  


It wasn't just his mother this time. It was his father yelling for his mother to run for it... and then it was the many times Harry gotten into trouble at Hogwarts... when everyone thought he was the Heir of Slytherin... the time he and Ron had that fight in his fourth year... Every single horrible moment in his life was playing in Harry's head over and over again.

  
  


Harry fought against the voice and kept yelling, "Expecto Patronum....expecto patronum..." The silvery gas came out again, but a dementor simply waved it away...

  
  


And then Harry realized that this whole thing was his fault. Voldemort came here to kill him, and because of that, he and the Death Eaters destroyed Hogsmeade. It was his fault... the moments repeating in his head told him that...

  
  


His wand dropped from his hand as he put them over his head. "Make it stop..." he mumbled madly. "Make it stop..."

  
  


***

Fiona and the other teachers were with the survivors they rounded up, waiting for further instructions. Fiona gazed at the frightened faces of the survivors. Most of them had lost people they loved in the brutal attack. She knew exactly how they felt. Death, if you expect it or not, is never how you think it will be.

  
  


Dumbledore started to say something, but was interrupted by a voice crying out, "Wait!"

  
  


A little girl with frizzy auburn hair was running towards them. She looks the same age as Harry when I first met him, Fiona remembered.

  
  


"Who are you, child?" Dumbledore asked her gently when she reached him.

  
  


"Emily Baudelaire," the girl panted. "Someone.... in... trouble..."

  
  


"You're not making any sense, dear," said Fiona soothingly. "Take a deep breath and talk slowly."

  
  


"The Death Eaters caught me, my brother, and my sister," explained Emily breathlessly. "The Dark Lord killed them.... and he might have killed me too if Harry and I hadn't escaped..."

  
  


"Harry?" Fiona blurted out mindlessly. "Where is he?"

  
  


"We got away... went into town.... and these scary hooded things surrounded us... Harry told me to make a run for it..."

  
  


That was all Fiona needed to hear. Without another word, she ran off, despite hearing Dumbledore shout, "Fiona, wait!" 

  
  


She didn't have to ask where Harry and the dementors were. She just needed to follow her insticts; angels could sense their unholy presence... Sure enough, in a ruined alley, there they were. They crowded around what Fiona was sure to be Harry. Quickly, she pulled out black cord around her neck and clenched whatever it was attached to it in her fist. 

  
  


The tiny beam of light emerged, but quickly faded away before it hit the dementors. Fiona tried again, with the same results. There were too many of them. She had to stop them... but how?

  
  


There was only one way... but it was a very risky one.

  
  


It could mean getting revealed, but it would be worth it to save Harry...

  
  


She began to morph.

  
  


***

The coldness was cutting into Harry's insides, the mist swirling about him. He could barely see one of the dementors lowering it's hood. It was going to preform its Kiss on him....

  
  


It's all over, Harry could hear himself think faintly, the voices still clear in his head....

  
  


What happened next was nothing short of shocking. Before the dementor could do the Kiss, something began glowing behind them. A warm, heavenly sort of light lit up the entire alley. The dementors recoiled. Part of this strange light hit the dementor nearest to Harry, and it crumbled into dust.

  
  


Squinting, Harry could see something walking towards them. It looked like a woman.... except no woman could ever look like that. Whoever she was, she glowed with the same heavenly light. She wore a pure white gown, her long brown hair was sleek and cascading, and-- it looked like she had large, glossy wings... The creature seemed so lovely, it was almost inhuman. She almost looked like a ghost, very like a spirit...

  
  


It didn't take long for Harry to realize what she was. He had seen paintings and statues of them many times before, except they didn't quite resemble what he was seeing now. It seemed impossible that he was seeing one... yet here she was right in front of his eyes...

  
  


The angel glowed with such bright light that the dementors fled with fear, leaving Harry and the angel alone. She stared at Harry in an eerie way, as though looking straight into his soul. Harry recognized her at once.

  
  


It was Professor Clark. 

  
  


As she helped Harry to his feet, Harry noticed the black cord around her neck, and he finally saw the thing attached to it that had been chasing away the dementors all year.

  
  


It was a small wooden cross.

  
  


She handed his wand to him, and quick as a flash, changed back into the human woman calling herself Fiona Clark, ashes all over her face and robes, her hair in tangles.

  
  


"You're..." Harry started to say. "You're a..." He couldn't quite say what she had been just moments ago, still shocked about what he saw. But Professor Clark held up her hand.

  
  


"I'll explain later," she said simply. 

  
  


She and Harry began to walk out of the alley, when they heard shouting voices up ahead. It sounded like Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge...

  
  


Professor Clark seemed surprised, but she seemed to get a hold of herself. She turned to Harry and said. "Wait here. Don't move."

  
  


She walked away, and Harry stayed behind, somehow trusting her, though she was something else than what she had appeared to be this entire year.

  
  


He could hear Dumbledore saying, "Look around, Cornelius! Hogsmeade is destroyed! Many are dead, the survivors homeless! The Dark Mark had lit up the sky! And you *still* believe that Voldemort has not risen?!"

  
  


"See here, Dumbledore," Fudge snapped. "I saw no Dark Mark in the sky! There is no evidence that You-Know-Who and his supporters could have attacked the village!"

  
  


"Ask the survivors," Professor McGonagall shouted. "Ask the witnesses! They saw what had happened! They saw the Death Eaters destroying their homes and murdering their friends and family! You need evidence? Ask them!"

  
  


"Be reasonable, Fudge," Dumbledore said in a calmer tone. "If Voldemort and the Death Eaters didn't burn Hogsmeade and kill innocent people in that sort of rampage, then who do you think did?"

  
  


"Why don't you ask Harry Potter?" asked Fudge coldly. "I'm sure he knows."

  
  


There a moment of silence. Harry could hardly believe his ears. Fudge thought *he* attacked the village? He refused to believe the obvious so badly that he used his assumptions of Harry as an excuse.

  
  


"I didn't do it," he murmured to no one in particular. 

  
  


Oh really? a nasty little voice in his head said. Think about it... Voldemort killed your parents to get to you... Cedric was murdered because he was with you... and Emily's brother and sister were murdered because Voldemort wanted to get a rise out of you... All these people are dead because of you...

  
  


There were shouts at Fudge following his statement, but Harry never heard them. He vaguely felt himself slide down against the wall of the alley and sit down. All my fault... Harry kept thinking. This is all my fault... I'm responsible for all this...

  
  


It happened so fast that Harry barely knew what happened to him. Everything just started spinning and the next thing he knew, to his shock, he was underwater. He looked around and recognized it as the underwater of the black ocean from his dream. He didn't know how on earth he got there, he just knew that he had to get out before he'd run out of 

air.

  
  


Before he could swim to the surface, something grabbed his ankle. He looked down and saw one of the shadow creatures from his dream. He struggled against its tight grasp on him and tried to call for help, but those cries only ended up as bubbles.

  
  


Then everything went black, and all he knew was lost.

  
  


***

Fiona arrived to where the teachers and the survivors were just in time to see Professor McGonagall shouting at Fudge. She tapped Dumbledore on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, Professor, but I've found Harry. He's alright, just a little bit shaken." She looked at Professor McGonagall and Fudge and asked, "What's going on?"

  
  


"Apparently, Fudge saw the dementors leave Hogwarts, and came down here to investigate," answered Dumbledore grimly. "He sees the village burned down, and yet he refuses to believe that Voldemort was responsible. He thinks Harry did it."

  
  


Fiona was shocked and furious. "Harry? Burn down the village? Balderdash! Why would he believe such a thing?"

  
  


"I will explain later," said Dumbledore shortly. "Go and get Harry." In a louder voice, he announced to everyone, "There is no time to argue about things. Severus and Minerva, take the survivors back to Hogwarts, and escort the Minister there too. The others and I will be with you shortly.

  
  


Fiona nodded and walked back to the ruined alley. Harry was still there, sitting with his back against the wall, head on his knees, and his arms around his legs. He looked like a small child in this position.

  
  


She walked towards him and said gently, "Harry, we have to go back to Hogwarts now. Come on..."

  
  


But Harry didn't move. 

  
  


Fiona didn't realize that something was wrong with him. "Harry, come on. Get up."

  
  


Nothing.

  
  


Fiona gulped. That horrible feeling of dread had returned to her. "Harry, get up," she said in a panicky voice. "You're scaring me."

  
  


Harry still didn't move. Fiona walked closer to him, calling his name at each step she took. "Harry?" she asked. 

  
  


Step. "Harry?"

Step. "Harry?"

  
  


She knelt down beside him. She could hear him breathing, so he couldn't be...

  
  


Banishing that thought immediately, she snapped two of her fingers in front of his face. He didn't even blink. She tried again. Nothing happened. In a soft, scared whisper, she called out, "Harry?"

  
  


At that moment, what must have happened to him struck so hard, it was almost as though she was hit by a rock.

  
  


"Harry! Harry! Harry, I'm so sorry!" she cried out, putting her arms around him. Cradling him, she began to cry those words again and again: "I'm so sorry!"

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


All right, before you flame me to kingdom come, I have two things to say:

  
  


1) No, Harry is not dead. If you know now which episode of that television show that I got inspired by for this part of the story, you'll know that it's something else.

  
  


2) If you're mad at me for this cliffhanger, I apologize, but this is part of the story. 

  
  


Are we clear on this? Okay then. I can't really talk about the next chapter without giving anything away, except that it will be both sad and strange. Stay tuned! 

  
  


  
  


  
  
  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  



	14. Gone Forever

Disclaimer: Alas, Harry Potter is not mine. It belongs to the wonderful writer of all writers, J. K. Rowling.

  
  


Author's Note: This chapter will be long, sad, and a tad bit creepy/strange. Just thought I'd warn you. Also, you're going to hear the phrase, "gone forever" in this part. Hence, the title. PS: As for the last chapter when Harry went into that catatonic state? How many fanfics have had *that* happen? Enough said, on with the fic.

  
  


Chapter Fourteen- Gone Forever

  
  


Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all in the Great Hall, gazing at the faces of the survivors of the horror that occurred at Hogsmeade. They were looking for the Baudelaires, praying that they lived through the destruction of the wizarding village that they and Harry were visiting just this afternoon...

  
  


Madam Pomfrey had reluctantly released them from the hospital wing after checking them over for any permanent damage their attackers had caused them. They were just about to go up to the Gryffindor Tower to wait anxiously for any news on Harry, when Professor Dumbledore found them and informed them of what had happened at Hogsmeade. The three were so horrified from the news that they had immediately volunteered to help the survivors in the Great Hall, where they would be spending the night.

  
  


And then there was one final shocking piece of news: Dumbledore had also explained (in a grim, sad tone of voice) that Harry had been found, but something happened that put him into some kind of catatonic state. The teachers had taken him to Professor Clark's office, where Professor Clark herself had insisted on placing him, rather than the hospital wing.

  
  


"What do you think they're doing to try to bring him out of it?" Ginny asked her brother and Hermione in a trembling voice. 

  
  


"I don't know," said Hermione sadly. "I've heard about catatonia; Muggles sometimes have it too when they have too much stress. I'm not sure magic is going to get Harry back from this..."

  
  


"HERMIONE! RON! GINNY!" a voice suddenly screeched.

  
  


The three saw none other than Emily Baudelaire running towards them. Her robes were ripped, her face streaked with tears and covered with ashes. 

  
  


"Emily!" Ron cried out as Emily reached them. "Emily, we've been so worried! What happened? Where's Joshua and Lili?"

  
  


A sudden tragic look crossed Emily's face. Her chin trembled. One of her hands clapped against her mouth. Her eyes closed tightly as tears started to run down her cheeks. "They're... They're dead!" she howled. "He killed them! The Dark Lord killed them! They're gone! Forever!"

  
  


Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all felt a sudden feeling of emptiness inside of them. First Harry was catatonic, and now their newest friends had been murdered, leaving Emily alone in the world...

  
  


Hermione slowly put her arms around Emily and embraced her. "There, there," she murmured softly. "You're safe.... You're safe..."

  
  


***

At Fiona's office, Harry was seated in a chair. Since he had been brought in, he hadn't moved. His face was completely expressionless, his brilliant green eyes now had a certain vacant look about them.

  
  


Fiona sat in another chair nearby him. Her hands were folding in her lap and her head was bowed down so low that her long hair was hiding her face. She liked it like that. At least if anyone came in, nobody could see her crying.

  
  


Why? Why? Why? she kept thinking in complete despair. How did this happen? Why did this happen? How could she have let this happen? She had saved him from the dementors, yet she had still failed. 

  
  


"I'm so sorry, Harry," she said softly. "Please try to forgive me."

  
  


"Forgive you about what?" a familiar voice asked. Fiona jumped, she was so startled, but then she saw that the person who just said that.

  
  


It was Celeste.

  
  


"Oh... hi," Fiona mumbled, quickly wiping her eyes. She looked at Celeste and asked, "What are you doing here?"

  
  


"I came to see if you were alright," Celeste replied. She narrowed her eyes and asked, "Now, you wouldn't happen to be thinking about giving up, are you?"

  
  


"What else can I do?" Fiona said, her voice filled with despair. "I mean, look at him!" She pointed at Harry. "He's gone, Celeste. He's still alive.... but he's gone."

  
  


Celeste stared at Harry and shook her head.

  
  


"No," she said calmly. "He's not gone... he's in there... somewhere... but he's lost. Don't you even know why you're on Earth in the first place?"

  
  


Fiona was puzzled. "To protect him, I know that. I saved him from the dementors, but..."

  
  


"The dementors weren't the things that were a danger to him," said Celeste slowly. "That was part of the events that led up to the danger to Harry. *This*, Fiona, is what you have to save him from. You have to get him back."

  
  


Fiona stood there, stunned. Then she swallowed and said, "I know what you mean by 'getting him back', but I've never done *that* before. I've entered dreams and changed into a human form... but this is something else altogether! And besides..." She looked down. "what if I fail? Just like almost fifty years ago?"

  
  


"Fiona," her friend said in a serious tone. "Tom is gone forever. You know it, I know it, all our friends know it, and even He knows it. And what we also know is that it wasn't your fault. It's time you realized that. I think you're blaming yourself for that because you can't bring yourself to blame Tom. Oh yes, you hate Voldemort for all the horrible things he's done to others, but you cannot bring yourself to hate Tom. That also isn't your fault; he was your best friend. It's understandable. But you have to pull yourself together, *Fi*. You have to save Harry from Tom's fate; you love him too, you know. You love him too, and you're going to have to prove that."

  
  


There was a moment of silence. Fiona stood there, speechless. Celeste's words had definitely hit home.

  
  


"I have to go," Celeste said finally. "Good luck, Fiona." She vanished.

  
  


For a few moments that seemed like forever, Fiona stood there, her friend's words echoing in her head. Then there was a knock in the door that broke the silence. "Come in," she said, as politely as possible.

  
  


Dumbledore entered the office, flanked by Professor McGonagall and Snape.

  
  


"Madam Pomfrey is tending to the survivors," Dumbledore said quietly. He looked at Harry. "How is he?"

  
  


"The same," Fiona replied flatly.

  
  


She was about to tell Dumbledore what she was going to do, but was interrupted by Fudge bursting into her office. He couldn't have picked a worse time to do so, as everyone else present in the room (except Harry) was tense at the moment. Especially Fiona.

  
  


"What's all this?" Fudge demanded. "What's going on?"

  
  


"Shouldn't you be addressing the survivors of Hogsmeade?" Dumbledore asked him cooly. "Most of them have lost loved ones, and all of them are homeless. They should at least hear an explanation of why this tragedy, Cornelius."

  
  


"They should indeed," replied Fudge stiffly. His eyes were on Harry when he said this.

  
  


At that moment, Fiona lost all sense completely. She had tried to hold her feelings back, to try to be civil towards Fudge, even though he was accusing the one she was supposed to protect of something he didn't do and refusing to accept the truth of Voldemort's return, even when it was so obvious. But she had enough of all this nonsense...

  
  


"Why are you accusing this boy of destroying Hogsmeade?" she spoke up boldly. "Does *he* look like the kind of person who would murder innocent people?"

  
  


Fudge stared at her with narrowed eyes. "I don't know what Dumbledore has or hasn't told you when you came here, miss, but for your information, this boy is a Parselmouth. He can talk to snakes, for God's sake, and everyone knows that's the mark of a Dark wizard!"

  
  


Fiona crossed her arms. "Did you think I didn't notice this before? So he can talk to snakes. Doesn't make him a Dark wizard in my book! A close friend of mine happened to talk to snakes!" she blurted out without thinking.

  
  


"She's absolutely correct," said Dumbledore. "Just because Rita Skeeter wrote in the Daily Prophet that Harry was 'disturbed and dangerous', doesn't necessarily mean she was telling the truth. It seems to me that you're just using that excuse to not believe that Voldemort has returned!"

  
  


"It seems to me that you are just using the excuse that he's Harry Potter in order to protect him!" shouted Fudge. "It is clear that this boy cannot be trusted around people! He needs to be locked up!"

  
  


"Over my dead body," Fiona snapped through gritted teeth. She stepped in front of where Harry was sitting as though trying to protect the boy from Fudge. 

  
  


"I suggest you leave Hogwarts now, if you cannot accept the truth that Voldemort has returned," said Dumbledore in an even tone. "And take the dementors with you. Whether I'm fired or not, I will not allow those things to attack the students here."

  
  


Fudge looked as though he were about to explode, but he left the office without further comment.

  
  


Immediately afterwards, Fiona turned to Snape and seethed, "If you say one word about me favoring this boy as a student, just one word...!" But it seemed as though Snape was both impressed and afraid of how she spoke (or rather yelled) to Fudge.

  
  


After taking a few steadying breaths, Fiona said to Dumbledore, "Clearly, if this is how the Ministry of Magic works here, then it appears you cannot work against Voldemort like this."

  
  


Dumbledore nodded. "I had hoped to stop Voldemort without interfering at the Ministry, but I suppose that's impossible with Fudge as Minister." He turned to Professor McGonagall. "Round up the other teachers and tell them go to my office. I will be with you all shortly."

  
  


Professor McGonagall nodded and left the room. Just then, Fiona remembered what she was going to tell Dumbledore.

  
  


"Sir," she said briskly. "I think I know a way to bring Harry back from this catatonia he seems to be in."

  
  


"Really?" asked Dumbledore thoughtfully. "Go on, then."

  
  


"It's old magic... I've never really done it before," Fiona admitted. "But I think I can do it. I'll probably need about an hour or so to do it..."

  
  


"You are sure you know what you are doing?"

  
  


Fiona nodded.

  
  


"Then... good luck. Come, Severus." Dumbledore left the office, and after shooting a sharp look at Fiona, Snape followed. Fiona closed the door after them, took a deep breath, then adjusted her chair so that it directly faced Harry.

  
  
  
  


It was very complicated work. She had to somehow release her spirit part of herself from her body and enter Harry's mind. If anyone walked into her office while she was in Harry's mind, it would look as though she was catatonic as well.

  
  


"All right," she muttered, sitting down in her chair. "Let's do it."

  
  


It was important to maintain eye contact with Harry while doing this. Trying not to blink, Fiona stared directly into Harry's blank eyes... she suddenly had the sensation that she being blown about by the wind.... she felt herself being lifted up from her human body...

  
  


The next she knew, she was in a living room. What am I doing here? she wondered. Looking down, she saw that she was in her complete angel form. It worked! she cheered silently. But what was this place? It was oddly familiar...

  
  


She could hear singing from the dining room... it sounded like the song, "Happy Birthday to You." She left the living room and peered into the dining room. There was what seemed to be Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, and a younger Dudley, who seemed a lot less fat then what he was now. A group of Dudley's friends were in the room as well, and Mrs. Dursley was preparing to cut a huge chocolate cake on the table.

  
  


Now she knew what this place was: it was the Dursleys house on Privet Drive. This must have been one of Dudley's past birthdays; there were eight candles on the birthday cake.

  
  


"That cake looks pretty good, doesn't it?" a small voice whispered.

  
  


Fiona whirled around and saw a little boy, small and skinny standing behind her. Fiona wasn't afraid, she had recognized the voice immediately... and this boy wasn't even a year older from when they first met.

  
  


"Hello, Harry," Fiona said, smiling.

  
  


The seven year old Harry Potter stared at her through his round glasses. "Aren't you that nice lady from the nurse's office?" he asked.

  
  


Fiona nodded. "Yes, yes I am." She put a finger to her lips. "But keep your voice down, or else your uncle will think you're talking to herself. You see, nobody can see me or hear me but you."

  
  


"Are you a ghost?" Harry asked uncertainly.

  
  


"No," she replied. "I'm.... a friend."

  
  


The little boy looked down. "I don't have any friends."

  
  


"Well then, I'll be your first one," Fiona said simply. Her voice hushing down to a whisper, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

  
  


Harry looked confused. "I *live* here."

  
  


Fiona mentally kicked herself. This wasn't really Harry, it was a memory of things that had already happened. He didn't know about Hogwarts yet. Trying to make conversation, she said casually, "So, it's your cousin's birthday?" Harry nodded. "Why aren't you in the dining room with the other boys?" she inquired, even though she knew the answer.

  
  


"My aunt and uncle never let me participate in the party. And they never let me have any sweets of any kind."

  
  


"Hmmm," Fiona said thoughtfully. "That's not fair. Although there are two advantages to this. One, you could look like *him*." She pointed at Dudley and Harry let out a small laugh. "Two, I expect you don't have any cavities from eating sweets, do you?" 

  
  


Harry shook his head and smiled shyly, showing his teeth. "Oh, good, you don't," Fiona said. "That's a good boy, Harry."

  
  


As Harry blushed, a harsh voice rang out, startling both of them, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE, BOY?"

  
  


It was Mr. Dursley. He must have spotted Harry. Harry looked petrified with fear. He marched up to Harry, walking right through Fiona, and slapped him across the face. Fiona felt the blow as though Mr. Dursley had it her too. Then he grabbed Harry by the scruff of his neck, dragged him to the cupboard under the stairs, opened it, threw Harry in, and locked it. 

  
  


"And stay in there or there'll be trouble!" shouted Mr. Dursley. He stormed off.

  
  


Shaking slightly, Fiona passed through the cupboard door. Harry was sitting on the floor. A red mark was on his cheek where his uncle hit him. 

  
  


"Does it hurt?" she asked gently.

  
  


Harry shook his head. "No. I'm used to it."

  
  


Fiona sat down next to him. "Would you like some company? I can stay here with you as long as you want."

  
  


Harry showed a small smile. "That would be nice, but I wouldn't want to waste your time."

  
  


"Oh, you're not wasting my.... time?" As she started to say this, the setting around her changed. It happened very quickly; Fiona was no longer sitting in the cupboard under the stairs with the younger version of Harry, but sitting somewhere outside... a field. Exactly which field it was, Fiona knew instantly.

  
  


"This is the field where Tom and I used to play!" she exclaimed aloud. "But... why is it here?" She stood up and looked all around. The place had changed so much: the sky was no longer sunny, but cloudy, like it was about to rain. The grass was dead. And the beautiful flowers and plants that she and Tom used to look at in awe? Gone. In their places were patches of weeds.

  
  


As Fiona stared sadly at the place which at one time had been filled with laughter, friendship, and at some times tears, the place that only existed in Tom's dreams, she noticed that there was a graveyard in the distance. That was strange. There had never been a graveyard there before. 

  
  


Another person was in the field... heading towards the graveyard... Curious, Fiona followed this mysterious person. The second they entered the graveyard, she saw who the person was...

  
  


"Harry!" she called out. It was him all right. Not the seven year old Harry she had encountered in that memory, or whatever it was. It was the current version of Harry, the sixteen year old boy she had taught this year, along with many others.

  
  


Harry stared at her, but said nothing. Nor did she to him. He was holding five roses in his hands: one red, one yellow, one orange, one pink, and one white. 

  
  


"What are you doing here?" she asked finally.

  
  


Harry didn't respond. He just walked through the graveyard. Fiona followed. As they walked by countless graves, she caught sight of some names written on the tombstones, such as "McKinnon", "Prewett", "Bones".... and then she saw one name on a tombstone that made her stop dead:

  
  


TOM RIDDLE

  
  


Of course she knew it wasn't Tom. Not the Tom she had known; it was his father's grave. Fiona had seen it before in Harry's fourth year. Suddenly, Fiona realized that these, somehow, were the graves of people that Voldemort had murdered. "This is experience is going from strange to just plain creepy," she muttered. 

  
  


She caught up to Harry, who had stopped in front of five graves. He slowly bent down in front of the first one, and placed the pink rose on it. The grave read:

  
  


LILI BAUDELAIRE

  
  


He moved to the second grave and placed the orange rose on it:

  
  


JOSHUA BAUDELAIRE

  
  


So, Fiona thought. These two must have been that little girl's- Emily's- brother and sister. Harry was placing the yellow rose on the third grave:

  
  


CEDRIC DIGGORY

  
  


The nice Hufflepuff boy who was killed in Harry fourth year. Fiona supposed that Harry put the yellow rose on his grave because yellow was one of the Hufflepuff colors. She moved to the fourth grave, which Harry had already placed the red rose on:

  
  


JAMES POTTER

  
  


Harry had finished placing the white rose on the fifth and final grave, and was now sitting, cross-legged, on the ground, facing it. Fiona read the name on the grave:

  
  


LILY POTTER

  
  


Fiona stared at Harry with a mixture of sadness and sympathy. "I'm sorry," she said to him softly.

  
  


"Don't be," Harry replied in a dead, hollow kind of voice. 

  
  


Fiona gazed at the entire graveyard. "These are all people that Voldemort killed."

  
  


Harry shook his head. "Not all of them. I killed these five."

  
  


Fiona had heard those words, but she didn't believe it for a second.

  
  


"No," she said. "No, you didn't kill them... Voldemort did."

  
  


"The only reason why Voldemort killed them was because they were in his way of killing me. Because of me, they're all gone forever."

  
  


"That isn't true and you know it!" Fiona said firmly.

  
  


"Is it?"asked Harry. "I don't know why Voldemort had it out for me and my dad, but my mother shouldn't have died. Only reason he killed her was because she was trying to stop him from killing me. Cedric was killed because I told him to take the Triwizard Cup with me. As for Lili and Joshua, Voldemort killed them to try to get to me. So I'm responsible for all of their deaths."

  
  


"Harry, stop talking like that. You're scaring me."

  
  


"You're not the only one. I scare myself. I must be something so terrible if Voldemort kills others in the way of me."

  
  


Fiona was about to tell him that this wasn't true, but once again, the scene changed. The graveyard turned into something that made Fiona gasp.

  
  


It was a black ocean.

  
  


***

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Emily were still in the Great Hall with all the survivors. Most of them had curled up in the sleeping bags that Dumbledore and the others had given them. Emily had stopped crying, but she looked even more terrified when they explained to her what had happened to Harry.

  
  


Speaking of Dumbledore, he was approaching the four. They all stood up.

  
  


"Well?" Ron asked. "Is there any changes? How is he doing?"

  
  


Dumbledore shook his head. "As far as I know, he's still the same, but Professor Clark is trying to reach him."

  
  


"How is she doing that?" Hermione asked.

  
  


"I do not know," said Dumbledore. "She said that she was old magic. We just have to trust her." He sighed heavily. "I must speak to the survivors...."

  
  


***

At first, Harry didn't know what was going on.... He had just had strange visions playing in his head, but none of them made any sense. He had the dreamy sensation that he was floating...

  
  


He vaguely heard someone calling his name: "Harry! Harry! Where are you?"

  
  


Professor Clark? What was she doing... wherever he was?

  
  


His eyes snapped open and with a thrill of horror, he realized that he was underwater. The shadow creature.... he looked down and saw that the shadow creature was gone. Using all of his strength, he kicked his way up to the ebb of the water...

  
  


He burst to the surface gasping for air. He breathed so deeply as though he had gone days with out air. No sooner had this happened, he heard Professor Clark scream.

  
  


"HARRY! Oh, Harry!"

  
  


She was there all right, standing on the edge of the now visible shore. She looked exactly like Harry had seen her when she saved him from the dementors; she glowed brightly through the mists. 

  
  


Harry spotted a large piece of wood drifting nearby him. He swam over and held on to it. The woman on the shore, using a path of rocks sticking out of the water, hurried over to him.

  
  


"Harry! What happened to you? You could have drowned! Are you alright?"

  
  


Harry didn't answer her questions. Instead, after erupting a fit of coughs, he asked one question that was burning through his mind ever since he first met the woman calling herself Fiona Clark:

  
  


"Who are you?" he asked her in a hoarse voice. "You were the woman substituting at the nurse's office when I was seven, weren't you?"

  
  


She nodded.

  
  


"And now you're a teacher at Hogwarts. But I saw what you looked like tonight when the dementors surrounded me.... you're an angel."

  
  


Without hesitation, the woman... angel nodded again. "Yes. I am an angel. A guardian angel, to be more specific. Yours."

  
  


Harry was speechless. Of course he believed in angels, he had for a long time... but it was still a shock to meet one face to face. Especially when it was his guardian angel.

  
  


"You certainly look the part," he said slowly. "What's your name? Your real name."

  
  


She suddenly had a pained expression on her face, as though she was recalling a memory that was very sad. But she quickly shook this off and replied, "Fiona. My name is Fiona. The 'Clark' part is something I just added. I was sent here because you were in danger. Now, what happened to you? When I got back to you in the alley, you were somehow rendered catatonic!"

  
  


"I have no idea," said Harry. "I heard Fudge and Dumbledore arguing, and Fudge blaming me for what happened to Hogsmeade... and suddenly I was underwater... This shadow creature thing was trying to drown me... and I guess I blacked out or something. Then I had weird kinds of visions... one was of Dudley's eighth birthday... and the second was something with a graveyard and roses..." He stared at Fiona and suddenly exclaimed: "You were in both of them! I saw you!"

  
  


"You mean those were memories of yours? Dreams?" Fiona asked, puzzled.

  
  


"I dunno..." Harry looked around. "What is this place? A few months ago, I came here in a dream... I saw Tom Riddle's body underwater."

  
  


Once again, Fiona showed that strange pained expression. And once again, she shook it off and started to explain, "This is a black ocean, Harry. It exists in the mind of people. It's sort of their own dark side." She pointed at the water. "It isn't really water; it's made up of people's fears, anger, and grief." Fiona eyed Harry seriously out of her blue eyes. "It's very dangerous. If you ever come to this place and set foot in the 'water', the darkness will consume you, and your soul will be forever lost in the darkness. You are very fortunate to have been here twice and survived." 

  
  


She paused for a few moments, and then asked, "Harry, I don't know if you remember, but when we were in the graveyard, did you really mean what you said? About you feeling responsible for those deaths?"

  
  


Harry didn't answer, but it was as though Fiona could read his mind. She shook her head and said, "Harry, it isn't true. Are feeling responsible because of what Fudge said?"

  
  


"Yes," Harry admitted. "What he's saying is true, though. If it wasn't for me, all those people at Hogsmeade would still be alive."

  
  


"If it wasn't for you, what would have stopped him and the Death Eaters for murdering all those people in the first place?" Fiona asked incredulously. "You stopped Voldemort fifteen years ago, at the height of his power, remember?"

  
  


"The only reason I survived that night was by a lucky chance," Harry said bitterly. "I don't deserve that fame. Voldemort was stopped that night because my mother died to save me, when she shouldn't have."

  
  


"She wanted to do that because she loved you!" Fiona insisted. She looked as though she couldn't believe her ears. "What's gotten into you Harry? You're acting just like..." Trailing off, she could only shake her head repeatedly. Suddenly, she gasped. "Harry! You're sinking!"

  
  


"Huh?" Harry looked down. She was right. The dark water was starting to pull him under, as though he was wearing heavy bars of lead. The only thing keeping him from completely sinking underwater was his tight grip on the piece of wood. Yet already his fingers were starting to slip.

  
  


"Harry, take my hand!" Fiona cried, holding out her hand. "If you sink underwater, you'll be lost forever!"

  
  


"So what?" asked Harry quietly. Nothing but dark thoughts were clouding his mind. "If anything happens to me, who would care?"

  
  


"*I'd* care!" Fiona shouted. "And Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, all your other friends, Hagrid, Sirius..."

  
  


"As long as I'm around, they'll get hurt. Just like this afternoon when the Death Eaters tortured Ron, Hermione, and Ginny! Like I said before, I must have been something so terrible that Voldemort kills others in the way of me."

  
  


"That's not the reason why Voldemort tried to kill you!" Fiona blurted out. Harry looked up at her.

  
  


"You know why Voldemort tried to kill me in the first place? Tell me! I've waited so long to know...."

  
  


"I-I can't," Fiona stammered. "You're not ready to know."

  
  


"Please tell me!" Harry begged.

  
  


Fiona wouldn't be swayed. "We're not allowed to reveal things you're not ready to know. That won't help anything right now."

  
  


"Easier for you to say," Harry said despairingly. He losing his grip on the piece of wood. The black ocean would drag him down for sure.... "You don't know what it's like to feel responsible for something so horrible, it haunts you day after day."

  
  


Fiona's head bowed down so low, Harry couldn't see her face. When she looked up again, Harry was astonished to see her face in tears. "Yes, I do," she said in a sad whisper.

  
  


"What?" Harry asked absentmindedly. "What did you say?"

  
  


She took a deep, shuddering breath and said, "Before you were born, I was the guardian angel of another boy who was a wizard. His name... was Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was a nice boy when we first met; a little moody, a little secretive, but still overall kind. We were inseparable, Tom and I. And then he started changing. At first it was nothing; it was things like sneaking into the Restricted Section of the library, pushing away the only true friends he had... and then...." Fiona gulped. "...when he turned sixteen... he killed his father. I tried to persuade Tom to change his ways before it was too late, but he turned away from me."

  
  


Harry was stunned by this new information. Fiona? Voldemort's former guardian angel? Impossible!

  
  


She went on, "I was convinced that it was all my fault; that something happened between the two of us that shouldn't have. That I was supposed to protect him from what was to come. The others told me it wasn't my fault because it was Tom's choice. For almost fifty years, I just went on hurting. Until I became yours. You always reminded me of Tom, but you are different. You have wonderful friends and people that care about you. Nevertheless, I still felt guilty for what happened to Tom..."

  
  


"It wasn't your fault," said Harry suddenly. "You can't blame yourself for things beyond your control."

  
  


Fiona smiled faintly. "I know that now. You must realize that too."

  
  


Harry just stared at her blankly. She's right, you know, a small voice in his head said. His throat was too tight to speak.

  
  


"And if you think, for one moment, that your parents, Cedric,that little girl's siblings, and all those people at Hogsmeade died just to have you blame yourself for what happened, you're wrong. I know for a fact, that you hear your mother's dying screams when the dementors come near you. Do you think that she pleaded with Voldemort to spare you so that you could be miserable for the rest of your life? Your parents would have wanted you to live and be happy, wouldn't they?"

  
  


She looked down again. "So now you have the same choice Tom had long ago: it would be easy to succumb to the Darkness, but the right thing to do would be to resist, go back, and be happy. What's it going to be?"

  
  


Harry's fingertips were seconds away from sliding off the wood. Fiona's words kept on repeating in his mind. He made his decision...

  
  


With a sudden surge of strength, Harry pushed himself up, wrenching himself from the black ocean's grasp, and grabbed Fiona's hand. Surprised, but in a happy way, she helped him out of the water.

  
  


***

Fiona suddenly found herself back in her human body, back in her office. A little overwhelmed by what had just happened, she almost slumped out of her seat, but quickly steadied herself. She looked at where Harry was, and with a sigh of relief, she saw that Harry was moving.

  
  


For a moment, he blinked fervently and looked around him. Like Fiona, he also looked overwhelmed by the ordeal he went through. Then, he slid out of his seat, fell to his knees, face in his hands, and his shoulders started shaking.

  
  


Without a second though, Fiona got out of her chair, knelt beside Harry, and put her arms around with. The two of them said nothing for a long time.

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


Okay, first of all, I hope none of you found this chapter corny. This will probably be the longest chapter in the story. If you have any problems with this chapter, I will accept constructive criticism. All right, so I'm an old softy, sue me!

  
  


Up next: I didn't call this story a drama for nothing! The drama continues as Harry meets up with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and a grief-stricken Emily. By the way, what do YOU think should happen to Emily? Tell me in your reviews. So stay tuned!

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  



	15. Reunion

Disclaimer: GRR! (Need I say more?)

  
  


Author's Note: First of all, I want to apologize for the mistake I made at the end of chapter 14; instead of writing the sentence, "She got out of her seat, knelt down, and put her arms around him", I accidently put, "She got out of her seat, knelt down, and put her arms around with". Sorry! Are we clear on this? Alrightly then, on with the fic!

  
  


Chapter Fifteen- Reunion

  
  


Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Emily waited in the Great Hall for what seemed like ages for any news on Harry. Had Professor Clark succeeded? What was going on?

  
  


Dumbledore had come back from a meeting with the teachers a while ago, and now was standing nearby the four. He looked distinctively worried, although he made it clear that he trusted the young woman.

  
  


Finally, Professor Clark entered the Great Hall. There were dark circles around her eyes, her steps came in stumbles, and she looked nothing short of exhausted. For a second, her head was bowed down so low that they all briefly feared the worst.

  
  


Slowly, she approached them, and with a small, weary smile on her face, she gave them the thumbs-up sign. The four breathed a sigh of relief. Harry was okay.

  
  


"He's up," they overheard Professor Clark whisper to Dumbledore. "but I'd like to speak to him, if you don't mind."

  
  


"Of course," Dumbledore nodded. "When you're done talking to him, you can send him to his friends. I'm sure they would like to speak to him also."

  
  


Professor Clark nodded. As she left, she winked at Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Emily. 

  
  


"Maybe we shouldn't ask him what happened when we comes back," said Hermione.

  
  


"Yeah," agreed Ron. "It'd be a bad idea."

  
  


"What *do* you think happened?" asked Emily curiously.

  
  


Ron shrugged. "I don't know, and I don't think I want to know. Some things are just to weird to understand. Unless Harry wants to talk about it, we won't bring it up. Agreed?"

  
  


"Agreed," they all said.

  
  


***

Fiona entered her office, where Harry was sitting. He seemed to be doing better, but he still looked a little despondent. 

  
  


She sat down next to him, not quite knowing what to say. Luckily, it was Harry who broke the silence. "So you were really Riddle's guardian angel once?" he asked.

  
  


"Yes," said Fiona nodding.

  
  


"Until he hurt you like that?"

  
  


She nodded again. "Yes... but somehow it doesn't really hurt that much anymore." This was true. Now that she shared the story of her past with Harry, it seemed like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. At long last, she had accepted the fact that it wasn't her fault, and that it was Tom's choice. She still missed Tom terribly, but Harry needed her now.

  
  


There was silence once more. "It's weird," said Harry. "Back in that- that place, I felt like giving up. That life just seemed meaningless and there was no point going on."

  
  


"You mustn't think like that," she said firmly. "After Tom left me, I thought like that too, that nothing mattered anymore, but I was wrong. My friends kept telling me that."

  
  


She grasped Harry's hand. "Quitting is never an option, Harry. You may not feel it right now, but you're a very strong person. You have been through tough situations before, and you've seen them through. So anytime you feel like giving up again, you just remember those situations... your childhood with the Dursleys, for example. It was hard, not having any friends, always being mistreated... but you survived, and you have friends now. If you could live most of your life with those people, then you can live through anything. You understand?"

  
  


Sighing deeply, Harry nodded. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Yeah, I understand. Thanks."

  
  


"Anytime." After a brief pause, she asked, "Are you ready to go back now? Your friends have been worried."

  
  


Harry nodded again.

  
  


"All right then. Come with me."

  
  


They both stood up, and she led Harry to the Great Hall. As soon as they saw him, his friends looked as though they saw a ghost. Fiona leaned close to Harry and whispered, "I'll see you later, okay?"

  
  


She patted his back and left. Harry will be alright, she thought, almost as though trying to reassure herself. 

  
  


His friends would see to that.

  
  


***

Harry went over to where Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were and sat down. Emily was with them, looking deeply shaken. Harry wasn't sure what to say to any of them, and from the looks on their faces, they didn't know what to say to him either. They were cautious; it seemed they didn't know how he would react if they said anything.

  
  


"I am so sorry for the way I've acting this year," Harry spoke up. 

  
  


"It's all right," they all said. 

  
  


"I shouldn't have..." Harry started to say, but was interrupted by Ron.

  
  


"Forget it," he said. "We're glad you're okay."

  
  


"We're going to stay down here with Emily tonight," said Ginny, hastily changing the subject. "Dumbledore said it was okay, and you can stay, if you want."

  
  


"Sure," Harry leaned forward and asked them all, "What happened to Fudge after the survivors came?"

  
  


"He left," explained Hermione. "He didn't even bother to address the survivors. Took the dementors with him. Good riddance."

  
  


"Emily told us what happened," said Ron. "And Professor Clark chased away the dementors? Did you see what she wears to chase away?" 

  
  


"Yeah," said Harry. "You are not going to believe this, but it was a cross."

  
  


They all stared at him. "Well, faith *is* a kind of positive thinking, after all," said Hermione thoughtfully.

  
  


"She's a great teacher," said Ron. For once, he didn't comment on Professor Clark-- Fiona's looks. "Right up there with Lupin. Shame she's leaving in a few days..."

  
  


"What?" Harry almost shouted.

  
  


"Don't you remember?" asked Hermione. "She said she was only staying for the year, or else she'd get terribly homesick... I do wonder where she is from anyway..."

  
  


Harry shrugged at this. In truth, he now knew where Fiona was from, but he wasn't going to tell them. She *did* say she was from "North"...

  
  


They got into their sleeping bags. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny (probably as the result of the dementors gone) were soon asleep, but Harry remained wide awake. He was still thinking about what had happened during the entire night....

  
  


He wasn't the only one--

"Harry," whispered Emily. "Are you still awake?" Her sleeping bag was the nearest to Harry's.

  
  


"Yeah," Harry said softly.

"What's going to happen to me now?" she asked, though she probably knew Harry wouldn't be the one to answer her. "It would easier losing our home at The Three Broomsticks with Joshua and Lili here with me, but they're..." She trailed off.

  
  


"How old were you when you lost your parents, Emily?" Harry asked, sitting up.

  
  


"I don't really know," she replied in a distant sounding voice. "It must have been ages ago because I don't really remember them. We have pictures of them, though...." She sat up. "Harry, this may seem like a silly question, but why do people have to die? It just seems like such a horrible thing. I know the world would be crowded if everybody could live forever, but still..."

  
  


Harry shook his head. "I dunno. But you're not alone. I can't remember my parents either. Before I got pictures of them in my first year of Hogwarts, I used to play guessing games of what their names were and what they looked like. The closest version of my mother's appearance was a woman with red hair and blue eyes...."

  
  


"I miss Joshua and Lili already," said Emily in a muffled voice.

  
  


Harry wished that there was anything he could say to Emily to make her feel better. But he knew that no words could ever do that. Instead, he just nodded sympathetically. If he had a brother or sister (and he would have given anything for one), he would have probably felt as awful as Emily did. 

  
  


Emily buried her face in the covers of her sleeping bag and the sounds of crying could be heard. Harry put his arms around her, holding her close, just as Fiona did for him. He silently prayed that Emily would be placed someplace where she'd be happy. 

  
  


After a while, Emily stopped crying, and Harry, letting go of her, said, "You'd better get some sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day."

  
  


Emily nodded. Lying back down, she piped up, "Harry?"

  
  


"Yeah?"

  
  


"Thanks for saving me."

  
  


"You're welcome."

  
  


Emily went to sleep, however, Harry remained awake for a few moments before doing the same, wondering what would happen tomorrow, and how he could ever say goodbye to Fiona when it was time for her to leave.

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


Sorry if this chapter was a little short after the long ones I've been writing lately. I hope you liked the chapter anyway; call me a softy, but I liked the conversation between Harry and Emily. There is possibly a chapter and an epilogue left of this story, so stay tuned, 'cause the story is almost over!

  
  



	16. Goodbyes

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

  
  


Chapter Sixteen- Goodbyes

  
  


The next morning, Dumbledore had spoken to the whole school of what had happened at Hogsmeade. Clearly, everyone (well, maybe not Draco Malfoy and some of the Slytherins) was shocked by this. He also announced that the survivors would be moved to a shelter where they could find new homes and jobs to get back on their feet.

  
  


Dumbledore had also taken Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny aside and explained that Emily would be taken to a foster home, since she had no other family. The inheritance from her late parents would still be saved, so on a brighter side, there was still a chance she could go to Hogwarts 

  
  


"She will be well taken care of, I assure you," Dumbledore told them.

  
  


Though Harry trusted Dumbledore's judgement, he was still concerned about how the foster parents he had chosen would treat Emily. After all, she had just lost her brother and sister. The last thing she needed was living with people like the Dursleys. Also, it would be really hard to say goodbye to the girl later that afternoon.

  
  


"I wish I could stay," Emily said sadly, after they explained what was to become of her. "It's so nice here."

  
  


"I'm sorry, Emily," said Hermione. "But you know you'll have to go to the foster home. If Dumbledore chose the people you'll be living with, they must be nice."

  
  


"And we're sure that you'll get to go to Hogwarts when you're old enough," added Ron. 

  
  


"Somehow, I don't think that Hogwarts is really on her mind right now," Ginny whispered to Ron.

  
  


***

That afternoon, Harry was waiting with Emily and the other survivors outside the castle for the carriages that would take them away. Since Hogsmeade station was ruined, the carriages would take them to another train station far away. The survivors and Emily had no belongings with them except for the clothes on their backs and the supplies Dumbledore and the other teachers had given them.

  
  


"You write to me if your foster parents treat you right or not," Harry told Emily while they were waiting.

"Uh-huh," Emily nodded. All of her frizzy auburn hair was covering her face because her head was bowed down so low. Harry grasped her hand tightly.

  
  


They didn't say much after that. It was as though both of them didn't want to speak of the other night again. Emily probably had nightmares of it the previous night, although she didn't directly say so. Harry didn't really have nightmares, but the scenes of the night played over and over in his head; Voldemort murdering Joshua and Lili, the dementors, the strange black oceans and the visions he had in it, and Fiona... Fiona rescuing him from the dementors, Fiona admitting her painful past with Tom Riddle before he became the monster known as Voldemort... 

  
  


The carriages arrived, driving Harry out of his thoughts. "There's your ride," Harry said quietly.

  
  


"I guess so," said Emily, looking up. She started towards the carriages, and then turned around. "Harry?"

  
  


"Yeah?"

  
  


"The next time you meet the Dark Lord, don't end up going into another catty-what's-it-called, okay?"

  
  


Harry smiled slightly. "Okay." He didn't bother to tell Emily the correct pronunciation.

  
  


She hugged Harry very tightly for a girl her age, joined the other survivors going into the carriages, and waved goodbye from a window in on of them. Harry stood there, waving back at Emily, until the carriage she was in and all of the other carriages disappeared from sight.

  
  


***

A few days later, on the day of the end-of-the-year feast, Harry and the others had gotten back their exams, and they all had done pretty well. Even Neville had gotten a good grade on his Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, which made his horrible Potions one seem like just a small mistake. He, like all of the Gryffindor students, were terribly sad to see "Professor Clark" leave on that day.

  
  


"Can't you stay for at least the next year?" he asked her on their final class that day. Fiona's suitcase, already packed, was right beside her. She smiled.

  
  


"No, my place is at my home," she replied, a little sadly. "You've all been very students. Oh cheer up!" she exclaimed, seeing all of their sad faces. "I'm sure you'll get a good Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher next year."

  
  


"Not likely," Ron muttered. Harry silently agreed. Two out of the six Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers (that included Fiona) had ever turned out to be good, despite their strange secrets.

  
  


As everyone began to leave, Harry turned to Ron and Hermione. "You go ahead. I'll catch up to you."

  
  


"Well... all right..." Hermione said, both she and Ron looking puzzled. But they left without further comment.

  
  


"So... you're leaving..." he said softly, as soon as everyone but he and Fiona had left and the door was shut.

  
  


"Yes," Fiona replied. It was the first time they had spoken since the night Hogsmeade was destroyed.

  
  


"Nine years ago... when you came to my old Muggle school... why did you come there? Was I in some sort of danger back then?" Harry asked, remembering that day in the nurse's office.

  
  


"I just came to meet you," explained Fiona. "and to make sure you didn't lose hope. I didn't want to see you end up like Tom, you see."

  
  


"I'm not Tom Riddle."

  
  


"No, you're Harry Potter. You're different. And not because you're in Gryffindor. When Tom was at Hogwarts, there were Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and even Slytherins that bullied him most cruelly. It just goes to show you that it doesn't matter what House you're in as long as you're a good person." Fiona paused and added, "That's what I told Tom once.

  
  


"You're different from Tom because you were able to resist the Darkness, even when all hope seemed lost. You realized, not a moment too soon, that you were pushing your friends away, unintentionally of course. It was too late for Tom, but it wasn't too late for you. Despite what happens, Harry, your friends will be there for you. They're your family now. I could go on and on with other differences between the two of you..."

  
  


There was silence again. When he found his voice, Harry said, in a strangely hoarse voice, "Thank you for everything."

  
  


Fiona smiled warmly. As she picked up her suitcase, he asked, "Will I ever see you again?"

  
  


"I guarantee it." She kissed his cheek gently. "Goodbye Harry. Be strong. Don't give up faith. Not even for one moment."

"I won't," Harry promised. 

  
  


Giving him one last smile, Fiona walked out the door. In a sudden movement, Harry bolted towards the door and looked out. He wanted to see Fiona walk away until she was completely out of sight.

  
  


But she had disappeared without a trace.

  
  


"Goodbye.... Fi..." he whispered.

  
  


***

There was a flurry of rumors passing around the other students that night at the feast. And they were all about Professor Clark. 

  
  


Everybody was still wondering what she was wearing all year that chased away those dementors, on account of neither Harry, Ron, Hermione, or Ginny ever leaked a word of the cross around her neck. 

  
  


However, they were talking about her too. Ron was still wondering if Snape might have briefly fancied her, but this was just about anybody's guess. Hermione was still wondering where she was from, and what she had meant by saying she was from "North". Ginny was wondering if the next Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher would be as nice as Professor Clark. 

  
  


Harry was the only one not talking about her. He knew perfectly well the answers to what Ron and Hermione were wondering, and he wasn't about to tell. What he was wondering was where Emily was at this moment and if she was treated well. All three of his friends must have been wondering the same question because Hermione asked him, right in the middle of the feast:

  
  


"Harry, who was she?"

  
  


"What do you mean?" asked Harry casually.

  
  


"She means, was Professor Clark the woman in the nurse's office at your Muggle school when you were little?" Ron translated.

  
  


"Yes," Harry replied. "Yes, she was." He took a deep breath, and also said, "She was something else too."

  
  


The three leaned forward so that they could hear what Harry was about to say. "What?" asked Ron. "What was she?"

  
  


"A friend," Harry said, in a voice that all could barely hear. "She was a very close friend."

  
  


He refused to say anything more than that. They simply changed the subject of what Dumbledore and the other teachers could possibly be doing to stop Voldemort, despite the continued denial and possibly interference from Fudge, but this was something none of them could answer.

  
  


When they all headed to the dormitory for their final night at Hogwarts, Harry wondered if Fiona was really right about his friends being always there for him. What if the next time Voldemort actually murdered Ron or Hermione or any of his other friends...

  
  


"I made a promise," he murmured to himself as he got into his four poster bed. "I made a promise to Fiona. I will be strong, Fiona.... I won't give up..."

  
  


He also wondered, very briefly, what Fiona knew about Voldemort wanting to kill him in the first place. Then he figured that he shouldn't worry about that right now. 

  
  


Whatever happens, happens, he thought to himself. I will be strong. Worrying about it isn't going to help. I wonder... what did happen between Fiona and Riddle? It's none of my business, really....

  
  


Before he went to sleep, Harry repeated softly, as though he was reassuring both himself and Fiona, if she could somehow hear him, "I will be strong."

To be concluded...

  
  


I hope this chapter wasn't corny or anything. I also hope that you liked this chapter. Up next is an epilogue, which is a little final resolution to the whole "Fiona was Tom Riddle's former guardian angel" thing. Won't say much about that. So please stay tuned! 

  
  
  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  



	17. Epilogue

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. I also do not own the song, "There You'll Be", which belongs to Faith Hill. Once again, I hope this epilogue isn't corny, and I hope you all enjoy it.

  
  


Epilogue

  
  


Later, on that same night, Fiona entered the trophy room for the final time. She hadn't really left Earth yet, but had remained invisible from all of the humans to make sure Harry was okay.... and to do something else. There was one last goodbye she had to take care of...

  
  


She sat beside the cabinet where Tom's old trophy was kept. A part of her, too big a part of her perhaps, wanted to hold on to what she had left of Tom. But she knew that this was for the best; she had to let go now.

  
  


Fiona would always remember Tom, of course, just the good memories of their friendship, and not the bad ones. 

  
  


Speaking of the good old days, she could see them somehow, as though they were being played in front of her on a movie screen. Each of those memories, she always saw the boy she had lost... Not Voldemort, but Tom, and how he used to be. She saw Tom, being melancholy every time a student or the head of the orphanage pushed him around: Tom, angry with everyone that had ever been cruel to him... and Fiona remembered that the second he had left Hogwarts, before he left to travel around the world to meet other Dark wizards, he had gotten every single person who had been mean to him.

  
  


Every last one. Fiona shuddered slightly.

  
  


Of all the memories that were playing in front of her, there was one that stood out in particular, when Tom was twelve...

  
  


~~

They were in the sunny field, playing as always. Tom seemed to be deep in thought. "Fi? Do you think I'm evil?" he had asked suddenly.

  
  


Fiona was shocked. "Who on Earth gave you that idea, Tom?" she asked sharply.

  
  


"Those gang of Gryffindors that keep on picking on me. They caught me talking to my pet snake again. The strange thing is that they almost seemed afraid of me; they said that I must be evil because the gift of Parseltongue was the mark of a Dark wizard." He rested his head on his knees. "I'll bet the whole school will know by tomorrow. They'll probably have new *interesting* names to call me."

  
  


"Tom, I've told you a thousand times," Fiona said, rather exasperated. "It doesn't matter what powers you have or what House you're in..."

  
  


"...You don't have to end up like the other Slytherins if you don't want to," Tom recited. "I know, I know, I've heard it more times than I can count." His tone was suddenly bitter. "I hate them. All of them. I'll get them one of these days..."

  
  


"Tom, don't think like that," Fiona said sternly. "If there's one thing I've kept telling you, it's that fighting never solves anything. If you act like those bullies, you become like those bullies. You have more sense than that! And thinking negatively won't solve anything neither."

  
  


"I know, I know," Tom sighed. "Forget it. Who knows? Maybe they won't spread it around if they're that scared of me."

  
  


"Now, I suggest we stop talking about them and start having some fun before it's morning.... morning... morning...." 

~~

  
  


Fiona's last word of that memory echoed until the scene dissolved completely, leaving behind the last time Tom had really been Tom... that fateful night he when he found out about his father, when he had been crying in her arms. Finally, that memory had vanished too.

  
  


I still say that it didn't have to end like this, Fiona thought miserably. You could have made the right choice, Tom. But what's done is done. There's nothing more that I can do for you.

  
  


Fiona began to sing. She had a lovely voice, as all angels do. The song she was singing came from nowhere in particular, and it made her think of Tom.... and Harry:

  
  


"When I look back on these times,

And the dreams we left behind,

I'll be glad 'cause I was blessed to get,

To have you in my life.

When I look back on these days,

I'll look and see your face.

You were right there for me....

  
  


"In my dreams, I'll always see you soar above the sky,

In my heart, there will always be

A place for you, for all my life.

I'll keep a part of you with me,

And everywhere I am, there you'll be....

And everywhere I am, there you'll be..."

  
  


She remembered the entire year at Hogwarts as though the whole thing had happened in a single day. Most of all, she remembered the whole experience in Harry's mind. It was strange, when Harry in that black ocean, saying over and over again that it was his fault that all those people had died.... she saw an eerie reflection of herself. Of how she had blamed her self about Tom's fate, when it really wasn't... In a funny sort of way, Harry had helped her realize that.

  
  


"Well you showed me how it feels,

To feel the sky within my reach.

And I always will remember 

All the strength you gave to me.

Your love made me see it through,

Oh, I owe so much to you.

You were right there for me...

  
  


"In my dreams, I'll always see you soar above the sky,

In my dreams, there will always be 

A place for you, for all my life.

I'll keep a part of you with me,

And everywhere I am, there you'll be..."

  
  


She didn't know what was ahead for Harry. But she knew, without any doubt, that he would not end up like Tom. He was different. He had faced the same crossroads Tom presumably had long ago, and he had made a different choice than Tom had, despite the things he had went through. 

  
  


When Voldemort was finally defeated for good, would Fiona be sad? No. In a sad sort of way, Tom's words on that day he had turned away from her had been correct: Tom Marvolo Riddle was dead.

  
  


"'Cause I always saw in you

My light, my strength.

And I wanna thank you now

For all the way.

You were right there for me...

You were right there for me...

  
  


"Always...."

There will always be a place for you in my heart, Harry, Fiona thought. And for you, Tom.

  
  


"In my dreams, I'll always see you soar above the sky,

In my heart, there will always be

A place for you, for all my life.

I'll keep a part of you with me,

And everywhere I am, there you'll be...

And everywhere I am, there you'll be..."

  
  


Fiona paused. Celeste appeared before her. "Are you ready to leave yet?" she asked.

  
  


"Yes," Fiona said, nodding.

Celeste smiled, her merry looking eyes burning bright. "You've done a good job, Fiona. You ought to be proud."

  
  


"Thanks, Celeste," Fiona said gratefully. 

  
  


"Harry will be fine," Celeste assured her.

  
  


"I know," Fiona said, getting up. "You go on ahead, I'll see you in a minute..."

  
  


Celeste disappeared into thin air. Fiona turned back to the trophy, staring at the words T.M. Riddle engraved into it. She whispered the final words of the song:

  
  


"There you'll be...."

  
  


And then she vanished, finally free of her guilt.

  
  


The End.

  
  


Author's Note: Okay, I hope you all have enjoyed this fanfiction. Here's a few reasons about why I wrote this fic:

  
  


1) It seemed like a cool idea to give Harry a guardian angel. It was also a kind of nice ring to it to make her the former guardian angel of Tom Riddle.

  
  


2) I've always wondered what other characters hear when the dementors get close to them. I figured Neville would hear something about his parents, not a lot of people put him in their fanfics anyway... And he needed an angel too. Thus, Celeste.

  
  


3) Though I hate Voldemort for all the horrible things he's done, I find the younger version of him intriguing. And I cannot help but feel sorry for him, sometimes... 

  
  


And finally, I *so* wanted to get back at those people who wanted to ban Harry Potter books for religious reasons. IN YOUR FACE, BOOK BURNERS!!! Sorry, sugar rush. Honestly, I don't know what their problem is. So far, this is the longest fanfiction I had ever written, but it won't be my last one, I assure you.

  
  



End file.
